PEACE ON EAKTH. 



" Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right ? " — Genesis xviii. 25. 

" They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks, 
nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." — 
Isaiah ii. 4. 

•' Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace," &c. — Song of the Angels. 



Peace on Earth. 

IN WHICH IS PRESENTED 

THE BRIEF AND PLAIN SYSTEM OF RELIGION WHICH IS REVEALED 

IN THE BIBLE, WHEN CONSTRUED AS APPLYING TO 

PRE-EXISTENT SPIRITS, — FALLEN ANGELS: 

AND 

SHOWING THE PERSONAL AND DISTINCT ENTITY OF THE FATHER 

AND THE SON, AND THE IMPERSONALITY OF 

THE HOLY GHOST; 

©fjat tijts toiefo .Settles all (Questions 

WHICH RELATE TO THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF THE ATONEMENT, 

ELECTION, FREE WILL, PERSEVERANCE, FUTURE REWARDS 

AND PUNISHMENTS, ETC. ; AND OPENS A WAT TO 

A PRACTICAL UNION AND CO-OPERATION OF ALL WHO 
ACCEPT JESUS AS THE CHRIST. 



/ 

By JAMES P. SIMMONS, 

AUTHOR OF "WAR IN HEAVEN," "ORIGIN OF MAN," ETC. 




XL£.sA 






BOSTON: 

A. WILLIAMS AND COMPANY. 

ATLANTA: PHILLIPS & CREW. 
1878. 



♦ 36 



Copyright, 

By James P. Simmons, 

1878. 



PREFACE. 



" TDEACE ON EARTH " is a necessary sequel to " War 
in Heaven." In that work (and in a more recent one, 
" Origin of Man ") the writer has argued that there is a God, 
who created all things ; that man is immortal ; that we existed 
before the creation of this world, and are of the fallen angels ; 
that a future state of retribution awaits us, &c. 

In the following pages, other questions which arise out of 
that state of facts will be considered. And inasmuch as the 
evidence (much less the argument) by which that theory of 
our being is sustained cannot be reproduced here, all that is 
affirmed there must be admitted as true here, for the pur- 
poses of further consideration, and as constituting the prem- 
ises from which the following conclusions are drawn. And 
as the proofs by which the premises are sustained are drawn 
from the sacred Scriptures alone, as viewed in the light of 
natural facts, laws, and reason, — so let the conclusions which 
follow be submitted to the same unerring tests ; but to no 
other. 

The practical value of that hypothesis, to the advocate of 
the cause of Christ, lies in the fact that it is the true one; 
and hence it is the only theory of our origin that consists 
with the revealed Word of God : and, most assuredly, there 
is no other which can be maintained by evidence found in 
that Word. And, furthermore, Ave as Christians cannot suc- 
cessfully meet the objections of modern scientists to our system 
of religion on any other ground. 



vi PKEFACE. 



It must be a painful necessity on the part of highly-educated 
and well-paid ministers of the gospel, when unable (from their 
present standpoint) to meet the arguments of the adversary 
either with reason or authority, to invoke the bigotry of an 
intelligent congregation to their aid, by exhorting them (as 
they often do) that they must believe what the Bible teaches 
(and, of course, as they construe it), although it may appear 
to be unreasonable in some particulars, because it is God's 
Word ! 

Has God said things that are unreasonable ? Minister of 
Christ, weigh well such insinuations before repeating them ! 
For it is true, and offered here as an irrefragable aphorism, 
that every narration, affirmation, and proposition which is 
unreasonable is false ; and, therefore, whatsoever appears to 
be unreasonable appears to be false, and cannot be accepted 
for truth by any reasoning man. If envy is ever commenda- 
ble, such teachers of religion should envy the happy state and 
condition of 

" The unletter'd Christian, who believes in gross, 
Plods on to heaven, and ne'er is at a loss." 

It was a leading purpose with the writer, in the publication 
of "War in Heaven," to bring the religious world back if pos- 
sible to the old belief that the souls of men were in being 
before the world was made, and to show our identity with 
the fallen angels, and that this world was made as it now is 
expressly for our race while on a probation which God had 
determined to give us. And it is the chief design of this 
writing to indicate the effect which that view of our nature 
and origin must have upon some of the most important ques- 
tions of faith, about which Christians differ in opinion between 
themselves. 

It is also designed to call the attention of both Catholic 
and Protestant Christians to a grave error into which both 
have fallen, in regard to the pious intentions of each other ; 
to point out the cause of that error, and to urge upon each 



PREFACE. vii 



the propriety of reviewing the ground on which their unfavor- 
able views, each of the other, are based, and of cultivating a 
better feeling for one another ; and, at the same time, to 
insist that all Christians should fraternize and co-operate as 
one body against their common foe. 

But comparatively few people of our age have acquainted 
themselves with questions which relate to the origin and 
nature of the human soul. It is thought best, therefore, to 
prepare those who have not read " War in Heaven," nor 
otherwise examined that subject, for a better understanding 
of the Scriptures referred to and arguments offered, in ref- 
erence to the matters of difference between Christians here- 
inafter noticed. And for that purpose a few of the many 
texts of Scripture which bear upon that subject will be quoted 
or cited in this, and such brief remarks made on them as it is 
deemed advisable to submit here as preliminary to the consid- 
eration of the weighty matters discussed in this work. 



Norcross, Ga. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

Page 

Introductory. — In all Pursuits, start right. — Christian Teachers all 
agree in four cardinal Points. — From these, divergent Ways are 
taken, and different Theories found. — The first Question arising 
from admitted Facts. — Other Inquiries growing out of that. — 
Three Opinions as to our Origin. — On one or another of which 
all Christian Creeds are founded. — Pre-existence of the Soul the 
old belief. — The View presented by "War in Heaven." — That 
War progressing here 13 



CHAPTER II. 

This life a Warfare. — War begun in Heaven, progressing here. — 
The opposing Forces. — Read without prejudice. — Rev. xii. con- 
strued. — Dr. Clark on that chapter. — Notes of American Tract 
Society on the same. — Dr. Gill as to identity of Michael and 
Christ. — What the Son came to do. — His plan for doing it. — 
This War to end in the triumphant establishment of " Peace on 
Earth " IS 



CHAPTER III. 

The same Subject continued. — Claims of Fallen Angels and of 
Men to God's mercy contrasted. — Effect of the Fall in Eden. — 
Eternal punishment. — Was not the sin of Adam and Eve par- 
doned ? — Inconsistency of the popular theory of the Fall and 
Redemption of Man. — Perfect, in the other view. — Conclusion . 30 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Page 
A brief Statement of the leading Facts revealed, and which consti- 
tute the Bases of the Christian Religion. — First Proposition 
considered. — A Creator; not chance. — A personal God. — Why- 
Jehovah should assume a personal Form. — Opinions of Heathen. 
— Of the masses of Christians. — Locality of God 39 



CHAPTER V. 

The same Subject continued. — Scriptural Proofs. — Was it the 
Soul or the Body of Adam that was made in the Image of 
God ? — Moses talked with God about his Body. — New Testa- 
ment Authorities. — Spiritual and natural Bodies. — Conclusion 47 

CHAPTER VI. 

The Glory of God. — Happiness of his Creatures. — All were made 
as best for themselves. — God has a Home, a Throne, a Mercy- 
seat. — His All-seeing Eye penetrates the Universe. — He sees us, 
observes our ways, and by them tries us, proves us. — Closing 
Remarks 60 

CHAPTER VII. 

Fifth Division. — Jesus Christ a Spirit. — Distinct from all others. 

— And the Beloved Son of the Father. — The term Eternal de- 
fined. — John i. 1, 2, construed. — Proof of individuality of Son. 

— Apparent Biblical discrepancies reconciled 67 

CHAPTER VIII. 

The same Subject continued. — Prophecies of the Son consulted. — 
How they are construed in the New Testament. — Application. — 
Conclusion 80 



CHAPTER IX. 

Of the Holy Ghost. — His Office. — Is he a Person, or a Power of 
God ? — Doctrine of a Trinity of Persons in one considered. — 
Its Origin. — History of. — Evil effects of. — Inconsistent, Un- 
reasonable, Unscriptural 89 



CONTENTS. xi 



CHAPTER X. 

Page 
The same Subject continued. — Doctrine of Three Persons in One 
unscriptural. — Trinity, Triune, &c, not Bible language. — The 
word " Godhead " noticed. — 1 John v. 7, 8 examined. — Many- 
other Texts cited. — The Holy Ghost a Power exercised both by 
the Father arid the Son. — The Holy Ghost has no Name ; has 
never been seen, &c 102 

CHAPTER XI. 

Concerning Gods, Devils, and Angels. — "There be Gods many 
and Lords many." — " God of Gods." — Prophets, Apostles, and 
Judges called Gods. — " Sons of God." — All to become Gods 
or Devils. — All to be called Angels. — The lost Song .... 121 

CHAPTER XII. 

The Atonement. — Scriptures relating thereto clear, when viewed 

- as applying to Fallen Angels. — Antinomianism a device of the 

Devil. — A change of opinion produced, how. — Texts relied upon 

to sustain Predestination noticed. — Other Scriptures contrasted 

with them. — A certain Class elected. — Another Class rejected. 

— All to be judged by our Works 126 

CHAPTER XIII. 

The same Subject continued. — How to reconcile all Scriptures 
touching Election. — For whom Christ died. — A Class and not 
Individuals elected. — Texts relied upon by Antinomians noticed. 

— Who are the Elect. — The Central Bible-Truth. — " Top-not 
come down." — The case of Jacob and Esau. — St. Paul and 
Pharaoh. - — Temporary blindness. — The Potter and his Clay. — 
Origin of Election-dogma. — Injurious effects thereof, &c. . . 140 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Perseverance of the Saints. — Apostasy. — A free Fight. — The 
Unpardonable Sin. — Of Heathen. — Infants, how saved . . . 165 

CHAPTER XV. 

Christian Union and Co-operation. — "A new commandment I give 
unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye 
also love one another " (John xiii. 34). — Introduction .... 179 



xii CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

PAGB 

Of Christian Love. — All Christians should co-operate against the 
common Foe. — Cause of alienation between Catholic and Prot- 
estant Christians. — How it can be removed. — Is such Union 
desirable? — Good people deceived. — Should not be more than 
two Christian Churches. — Heavenly Treasures, &c 184 



CHAPTER XVII. 

The same Subject continued. — Judge not, lest ye be judged. — 
Duties of the educated Laity. — Appeal to Lawyers. — Their 
advantages over the Ministry in construing the Scriptures. — 
Gold is King. — Small Errors lead to great Evils. — Nature of 
the Union advocated. — Conclusion 207 



PEACE ON EARTH. 



CHAPTER I. 

Introductory. — In all Pursuits, start right. — Christian Teachers all 
agree in four cardinal Points. — From these, divergent Ways are 
taken, and different Theories found. — The first Question arising 
from admitted Facts. — Other Inquiries growing out of that. — Three 
opinions as to our Origin. — On one or another of which all Chris- 
tian Creeds are founded. — Pre-existence of the Soul the old belief. 
— The View presented by ' ' War in Heaven. ' ' — That War progressing 
here. 

r I ^HAT the reader may be the better prepared to under- 
-*- stand and therefore duly appreciate the arguments 
which follow on each proposition submitted, it is thought 
best to state briefly here the different popular theories of our 
being on which modern theologians have founded their vari- 
ous creeds of religion; so that, seeing the starting point of 
each, it may readily be discovered how and why they have 
arrived at conclusions so variant. If we attempt to go to a 
certain place, to do a particular job of work, or solve a given 
problem, and start wrong, we will never succeed until our 
incipient error is detected, and we start right. Is not this 
true? Then, should we start right, and afterward take a 
wrong road or a wrong measure, or adopt a wrong rale, will 
not the result be the same ? It is, therefore, not only impor- 
tant that we start right in all our undertakings, but to success 
it is necessary that we keep so all the time. 

Christian teachers all start right. They all agree : (1) That 
there is a God, who created all things ; (2) That we all have 
sinned against our Creator ; (3) That the soul of man is 
immortal, and there will be a general resurrection of the 



14 PEACE ON EARTH. 



dead, and a final judgment; (4) And that Jesus Christ has 
become the mediator between God and man. 

These may well be considered the chief corner-stones on 
which Christ's temple was built and now stands, and in the 
fitness of each and every one of which all who trust in him 
for salvation are agreed ; but, whenever we leave these cardi- 
nal points of Christian faith, and start out theorizing over the 
broad field for thought which revelation spreads out before 
us, we soon take divergent paths, and the further we go along 
these crooked ways the wider grows the space which lies be- 
tween us. And it is moreover true, as to all who start off in 
a wrong direction, that the longer they travel in that way the 
further they get from the truth. 

We all admit that an all-wise, omnipotent, and very merci- 
ful God created man. Would it not be well to pause here a 
moment for sober, serious thought ? But little reflection must 
satisfy every well-trained mind that the first question which 
here presents itself to the earnest seeker after truth is, "What 
is man ? " To all who believe the Bible, the answer is, " A 
living soul." From this answer other grave inquiries arise, 
as, Why — for what purpose — did God create us? When were 
we made ? How were we, as immortal spirits, first brought 
into being? And upon his answers to these questions the 
whole system of every consistent theologian must rest ; for no 
intelligent Christian can fail to observe that old sinners, such 
as we are (if our origin is to be found in that war which was 
waged in heaven and resulted in the expulsion of Satan and 
his hosts out of and from that holy and happy place, and in 
our confinement "in chains under darkness" in this sin-smitten 
world), deserve a different treatment from such as would be 
due to newly-created beings, who come into this world fresh 
from the hand of an omnipotent, pure, holy, and merciful 
God, and who are free from all stain of sin, except such as 
would be imputed to them by such Creator in consequence of 
the fall in Eden. Is not this true? Then, is it not a matter 
of the first importance to a proper interpretation of God's 
word concerning us, that we first determine whether we have 
lived before, — or are we new creatures ? x 



PEACE ON EARTH. 15 

We should, therefore, after having formed answers to all 
these questions, such as appear satisfactory to ourselves when 
considered alone, compare them each with the others and see 
that they are all consistent with one another and with all the 
attributes of our Creator ; and so try to get a general view of 
the whole matter (and which is so mysterious to us now) that 
is consistent with itself and with human reason at least. And, 
lastly, when you have found a theory which can stand these 
tests, you should compare it carefully with God's word, and, if 
it is well sustained by the touchstone of truth, you may safely 
exclaim, with Archimedes, "Eureka!" (I have found it out.) 

There has been in all ages of the world, and still is, a class 
of people who deny the existence of a personal God and the 
immortality of the soul ; and there is now another class who 
also insist that all things which exist are and were produced 
by natural laws, yet who hold, not only that the soul is immor- 
tal, but that a happy eternity awaits all men. Passing both 
of these theories by for the present, it is designed in this place 
to state substantially the three different popular views in rela- 
tion to our origin which have been and are now entertained 
by those who accept the Bible as true. 

The first is : " That, at the beginning of the world, God cre- 
ated the souls of all men, which, however, are not united to 
the body till the individuals for whom they are destined are 
begotten or born into the world." 

The next is : " That the soul is created at the moment when 
the body is produced for its habitation." 

And the last is : " That the soul and body are alike and 
together propagated by the parents, neither having had any 
previous existence." 

The writer has already reviewed all the above theories and 
the arguments offered by the respective advocates of the 
last two at some length, and has examined them in the light 
of revelation and of natural reason, and has compared them 
also (and in the same light) with that which is, as he feels 
well satisfied, the true and the only hypothesis as to the 
origin of our race which finds any support in the Bible ; and 
which is, in brief, " That the souls of all men existed before 



16 PEACE ON EARTH. 



the creation of this world ; that they are of the fallen angels 
who were engaged in rebellion under Satan in heaven, and 
were by Michael and his hosts ' cast ont into the earth,' and 
that when the body destined for each is prepared, the spirit is 
sent to occupy it merely as a tenement." 

That this theory of our being may be more clearly under- 
stood by such as have devoted but little time or care to the in- 
vestigation of such things, it is deemed best to restate it, and in 
an enlarged form, by saying : That this world, as now consti- 
tuted and inhabited, is the gift of God to his rebellious crea- 
tures, and that the necessity for it, with all things as we see 
them around — and feel them within us — grew out of that war 
which was waged in heaven between Michael and Satan and 
their respective angels, and which resulted in the expulsion of 
the latter and his followers from heaven, and in his and their 
confinement here (see Rev. xii. 7-11). That after those who 
were engaged in that rebellion under Satan had been " cast 
out into the earth," for their sins committed under the delusive 
influence of the Devil, they became penitent, — sorry beyond 
all comparison for what they had done. Their agonizing cries 
for mercy and pardon excited the deepest sympathies on the 
part of both the Father and " his Christ," and who was then 
and previously known as "Michael," " The Archangel," &c. 

And thereupon a covenant was made between the Father 
and Son, in and by which it was agreed that the Son should 
follow after the lost angels, and offer them pardon and restora- 
tion to the Divine favor, on specified terms. That, pursuant to 
which covenant, Jesus Christ descended from heaven and (in 
virtue of the power and in the presence of the Father) pre- 
pared this world for a place in which to try and to prove 
those penitent spirits, and formed the body of Adam, " and 
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life," " and (with which 
breath) man became (possessed of) a living soul." 

And which soul was one of Satan's vile host — 

An angel of light — led into the fight, 

Beguiled into sin by the god of night ; 

Who seeing their plight — o'er whelmed at the sight — 

Cried, O Michael, save ! Jehovah, forgive ! 

Dear Christ ! intercede, that we may yet live! 



PEACE ON EARTH. 17 



That Christ made the body of Eve also, and as described in 
Genesis, " and breathed into (her) nostrils the breath of life " 
in like manner ; and with that breath another lost spirit, of 
the same family, entered her body, as a prison-house, and for 
the purposes of probation. 

" That the bodies, not the souls, the physical and not the 
spiritual part of subsequent generations, were created in 
Adam." 

" That the account given in the Bible of the temptation and 
fall of man in Eden, although literally true, is also a clear, 
symbolical, and allegorical representation of his real temptation 
and fall by and with Satan in heaven." 

" That this arrangement will be continued until all who were 
embraced in that divine, antemundane covenant have, or 
shall have had, a probationary term here ; then will come the 
final judgment, when all will be restored to their primeval 
favor with God, or doomed to that final punishment which is 
due for individual sin by each committed." 1 

The view first given above, as to the pre-existence of the 
soul, was the common belief with the Jewish Rabbins, hea- 
then philosophers, and everybody else, infidels only excepted — 
as far at least as the writer has been able to learn — who lived 
before or at the time of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. And, 
as the reader must have observed, the idea that we are of the 
fallen angels is but an enlargement and application of that old 
theory, by showing to what class or family of spirits we be- 
long. And which important fact had never been fully re- 
vealed to the world until the vision of St. John in Patmos. 

And lastly : " That the war which began between Michael 
and Satan in heaven has been transferred to this world and is 
now progressing here ; and that it will terminate when Christ 
shall have accomplished his purpose, to l destroy the works of 
the Devil.' " 



1 War in Heaven, p. 37. 



18 PEACE ON EARTH. 



CHAPTER II. 

This life a Warfare. — War begun in Heaven, progressing here. — The 
opposing Forces. — Read without prejudice. — Rev. xii. construed. — 
Dr. Clark on that chapter. — Notes of American Tract Society on the 
same. — Dr. Gill as to identity of Michael and Christ. — What the 
Son came to do. — His plan for doing it. — This War to end in the 
triumphant establishment of "Peace on Earth." 

TN the closing chapter of " War in Heaven," it is remarked : 
■*- " That the war which Satan so ingloriously waged in 
heaven above has been transferred to earth, and is now being 
prosecuted by Christ below. The captains are the same, but 
the opposing hosts are not. When peace was restored in 
heaven, Christ, sympathizing with those who had been de- 
ceived and betrayed into sin and rebellion by Satan, followed 
us here ; and having himself expiated our crimes, and pur- 
chased pardon for all our iniquities, now invites all who repent 
of their sins and ingratitude to God their Maker, and desire 
restoration of their allegiance to him, to come and receive 
full and free pardon for the past, and enlist under the banner 
of the Cross, and fight with him and his the more glorious 
battles of righteousness, truth, and love." 

And further: " That this warfare will continue until all shall 
have an opportunity to repent and turn again to the love of 
God ; when Christ will return in person, as the Judge of 
quick and dead, and stern avenger of the unrepented wrongs 
to God the Father and his unsuspecting creatures." l 

The writer now proceeds to prove the above proposition ; 
beginning this argument just where that was closed. And 
therefore (for the purposes of further exegesis) all that is 
affirmed there must be considered as true here. For it is in- 
dispensably necessary, to a profitable reading of this work, 
that those who have never investigated the subject, but have 

1 War in Heaven, p. 296. 



PEACE ON EARTH. 19 



grown up and lived on under the impression that we are new 
creatures, should read the Scriptures cited as applicable to 
pre-existent spirits ; as without at least such hypothetical 
admission, their value will be lost to the reader. 

We are never enlightened by reading or hearing an argu- 
ment, when we are all the time trying to answer and reply, 
in our own minds, to the writer or speaker. We can always 
shut out Truth from the understanding, or put her out. 

1 ' Convince a man against his will, 
He 's of the same opinion still." 

It is worse than a loss of time merely, to hear or read under 
strong opposing bias, except when engaged in debate. For, 
in so reading or hearing, you put yourself in the attitude 
of a disputant ; and although you may produce evidence and 
give reasons that your opponent cannot successfully reply 
to, and which may be satisfactory to all others present, yet 
you cannot satisfy him that you are right and he is wrong in 
regular debate, or otherwise, " against his will." But more 
of this anon. 

Now, admitting that there was some sort of " war" in 
heaven — was that war transferred to this world ? and is 
it still progressing here ? Although such war, or its conse- 
quences rather, are referred to, incidentally if no more, in per- 
haps as many places as any other fact which is recorded in 
the Bible, the most direct and full account we have of it is 
found in the twelfth chapter of Revelation. In verses nine to 
eleven of that chapter we are informed that Satan and those 
who were engaged under him in that war " were cast out into 
the earth," and that " they overcame him by the blood of the 
Lamb," &c. 

On this passage I will only remark here, that, construed 
in its most natural, literal, and (doubtless its) true sense, it 
means just what it says ; as do all the other Sacred Scriptures, 
when so construed and read in the light of other revealed 
laws and facts. And to give his language that sort of con- 
struction, we must understand St. John as saying about this : 
That they who were cast out of heaven, and down to this 



20 PEACE ON EARTH. 

world, with Satan, were, in virtue of the atonement made by 
Jesus Christ, enabled to overcome him (Satan) ; and to find 
deliverance from all the sad calamities which engulfed them 
in consequence of their own folly and wickedness, in suffering 
themselves to be led by the wiles of the Devil so far away 
from the peaceful paths of duty and love as to engage under 
him in that rebellion and war in heaven against " the law 
of the Lord." 

That this Scripture has been very differently construed is 
frankly admitted ; but that it has been, and is, construed 
erroneously is as positively affirmed. Does the reader want 
some evidence to sustain language so strong ? Here it is : 
Dr. Adam Clark, in his preface to the valuable notes he made 
on Revelation, says : " Among the interpreters of the Apoca- 
lypse, both in ancient and modern times, we find a vast diver- 
sity of opinions ; but they may be reduced to four principal 
hypotheses or modes of interpretation : — 

"1. The Apocalypse contains a prophetical description 
of the destruction of Jerusalem, of the Jewish war, and the 
civil wars of the Romans. 

" 2. It contains predictions of the persecutions of the Chris- 
tians under the heathen emperors of Rome, and of the happy 
days of the Church under Christian emperors from Constan- 
tine downward. 

" 3. It contains prophecies concerning the tyrannical and 
oppressive conduct of the Roman pontiffs, the true Anti- 
Christ, and foretells the final destruction of popery. 

" 4. It is a prophetic declaration of the schisms and heresies 
of Martin Luther, those called Reformers and their successors, 
and the final destruction of the Protestant religion." 

From the above analysis of Dr. Clark, it is observable that, 
notwithstanding the "vast diversity of opinions" which have 
in every age obtained as to the solution of some questions 
which have arisen between commentators of the same age, 
those of each period have uniformly so interpreted the Apoca- 
lyptic prophecies as to direct them against those who were, 
at the time, considered their most dangerous enemies. 

" Thus, in the age immediately succeeding that of St. 



PEACE ON EARTH. 21 



John, Christians generally, whether originally Jews or Gen- 
tiles, looked upon the infidel Jews as their common and most 
to be dreaded enemies ; and they construed them as applying 
to the Jews and Jerusalem. The heathen emperors of Rome 
became the next persecutors of the Church, and they were 
accepted as the parties intended. 

44 The Roman pontiffs next became the terror of dissenting 
Christians, and they found a ready solution of the whole mys- 
tery in applying it to them and the Catholic Church generally. 
And, in turn, the Catholics appear quite as well satisfied that 
Luther and his Protestant followers are the great Anti- Christ 
predicted. And so stands the controversy between these two 
great and opposing families of Christians at the present 

time," — 

" Each claiming truth and 
Truth disclaiming both." x 

Here we have proof conclusive : (1) That four different 
constructions, each of which is wholly inconsistent with all 
the others, have been put upon this Revelation. (2) That the 
two first mentioned were generally accepted as correct during 
the ages of the Church in which each was entertained. 
(3) And that the two modern interpretations of it are not 
only in direct opposition to each other, but when taken 
together supply the evidence required to sustain our propo- 
sition beyond all doubt. For it is impossible that the Pope 
and his adherents on one side, and the whole Protestant 
Church on the other, is and are the great adversary of Christ 
and his kingdom referred to there, as each party insists is 
true of the other. 

In an edition of the Bible with notes, published by the 
American Tract Society (1862), and on Rev. xii., the follow- 
ing is the introductory note: "With the seventh .trumpet 
the mystery of God was to be finished, chap. x. 7. This has 
already sounded, and the kingdoms of this world are become 
the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, chap. xi. 15. 
We cannot therefore, with any degree of probability, sup- 
pose that the long series of persecutions and trials predicted 

1 See " War in Heaven," chap. vii. 



22 PEACE ON" EAETH. 



in this and the following chapters belongs to the seventh 
trumpet, both the numbers contained in the prophecies, and 
their general character, identifying them with those previ- 
ously recorded. Accordingly there is a general agreement 
among expositors that the vision here goes back to the primi- 
tive days of Christianity, and gives a new series of revelations 
containing a more interior and spiritual view of the history of 
the Church, that of the preceding series having been more 
outward and providential." 

This is given as the general view of that chapter as held 
by Protestants, and from which we learn first : That a " long 
series of persecutions and trials of the Church is there pre- 
dicted " (prophesied of as to come thereafter) ; and secondly, 
that " There is a general agreement among expositors that 
the vision here goes back to the primitive ages of Christianity, 
and gives a new series of revelations " (past events made 
known). That, as far as it goes, is indubitably a correct 
view of the Apocalypse. Facts which relate to the past, and 
things yet to come, are both revealed there. Now, what that 
new series of revealed facts is, becomes an interesting sub- 
ject for inquiry. 

On the eleventh verse (which is this : " And they over- 
came him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of 
their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the 
death ") the following note is made : " By the blood of the 
Lamb — by the word of their testimony ; not by carnal weapons, 
but by faith in the efficacy of Christ's atonement and their 
faithful testimony to his truth. Loved not their lives unto the 
death ; would not renounce the truth to save their lives." 

By this it appears that the part of the verse quoted is 
understood by such " general agreement " as applying to 
those who have been or will be redeemed by Jesus Christ in 
this world. Now, if those of whom it is said, "And they 
overcame him" &c, are not of the same who are said, in 
the ninth verse, to have been " cast out with him," who are 
they ? And if Satan is not the party intended by the words, 
" And they overcame him," in the eleventh verse, who is 
that party ? 



PEACE ON EARTH. 23 

Then, if we construe this revelation as meaning that Satan 
and his angels were cast out into this world, and that they 
(or a part of them) have or will overcome him by the blood 
of Jesus Christ, we must believe also that the war which was 
begun in heaven is still progressing here. 

The opposing chiefs in that celestial war, and in the one in 
which St. Paul said, " I have fought a good fight," &c, are 
the same — Michael and Satan. 

In his commentaries on Jude 9, Dr. Gill says : " Yet 
Michael the archangel. By whom is meant, not a created 
angel, but an increated one, the Lord Jesus Christ, as appears 
from his name Michael, which signifies who is as God ; — and 
who is as God or like unto him, but the Son of God, who is 
equal with God? — and from his character as the archangel, or 
prince of angels, for Christ is the head of all principality and 
power ; and from what is elsewhere said of Michael, as that 
he is the great Prince, and on the side of the people of God, 
and to have angels under him and at his command. (Dan. 
x. 21 and xii. 1 ; Rev. xii. 7.) " 

So Philo, the Jew, calls the most ancient Word " first-born 
of God, the archangel^ 

On Rev. xii. 7, the same distinguished author, after repeat- 
ing very much the same as to Michael that he had said on 
Jude 9, and after reviewing several Rabbinical writers on that 
' subject, proceeds thus : " Lord Napier thinks that the Holy 
Ghost is designed, who is equally and truly God, as the Father 
and the Son, and who in the hearts of the saints opposes Satan 
and his temptations ; but it seems best to interpret it of Jesus 
Christ, who is equal with God, is one with the Father, and 
in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily ; he is 
the archangel, the first of the chief princes, the head of all 
principality and power, who is on the side of the Lord's 
people, pleads their cause, defends their persons, and saves 
them." 

Dr. Gill is quoted here to prove that he, and others quoted 
by him, believed that Michael and Jesus Christ are the same. 
And for that purpose I have italicized some of his words as 
above. But, as it will appear hereinafter, I do not agree with 



24 PEACE ON EARTH. 

him, nor with Trinitarians generally, in regard to the person- 
ality of the Holy Ghost, nor as to the personal identity of the 
Father and Son. And by reference to his commentaries on 
that text (Jude 9), and on Rev. xii. 7, and to the authorities 
cited by him, any remaining doubt as to the spiritual identity 
of Michael and Christ will be removed. 1 

Matthew Henry, in his Commentaries on Genesis, says that 
" the original word which is translated 4 Lord ' and printed 
in small capital letters in our Bible is Jehovah, and that 
1 Jehovah ' is the great and incommunicable name of God, 
which denotes his having his being of himself." He also 
says that the word " Elohim " means " a God of power," 
and " Jehovah Elohim " means " a God of power and perfec- 
tion." 

We should therefore understand the term " angel of the 
Lord," wherever so found, as meaning the angel of Jehovah, 
or of God the Father ; that is, Jesus Christ. If the translators 
of our Bible had preserved the distinction between the words 
Jehovah and JElohim by transferring the first, as it is here and 
as they often did, into our copy, and by translating the latter 
" God " as they did in most cases if not in every instance, it 
would perhaps have been better, as leaving it easier for us to 
determine whether the Father or Son was intended. To read 
the term " angel of the Lord " angel of Jehovah, as it would 
then have stood, and to admit that Jesus Christ is indicated 
both by the name Michael and the term angel of Jehovah, it 
will be found that what is said of the Being referred to under 
both appellations consists with the idea that the same is 
intended, and agrees perfectly with what is said of the Mes- 
siah, however denominated elsewhere in both the Old and 
New Testament Scriptures. 

By reference to Rev. xix., it will be seen that he who sat 
on the white horse and was called the " Word of God " was 
Christ himself beyond doubt ; and of him it is said, " And he 
was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and his name is 
called the Word of God. And the armies which were in 

1 See further on that subject Dr. A. Clark's Commentaries on Jude 9, and 
Religious Encyclopedia, title " Angel of the Lord." 



PEACE ON EARTH. 25 



heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, 
white and clean." 

Thus, in the twelfth chapter of Revelation, we find the 
leader of the hosts of heaven is called " Michael," and in the 
nineteenth chapter he is called the " Word of God." What 
better evidence as to the identity of the two could be desired ? 
And it is assumed that no sane man will deny that the term 
" Lamb," as used in Rev. xii., means Christ also. In fact, we 
find our blessed Redeemer designated in that one chapter by 
the four appellations "Michael," "Christ," "The Lamb," and 
" The Man Child." 

In forming an opinion on this subject, however, we are not 
left without other revealed evidence in abundance. It is not 
only true that the captains are the same, but the armies are 
both constituted of the same " angels " who fought above, 
although they are not all enlisted here on the same side as 
there. The present army of the Lord is composed of two 
divisions ; one of which is made up of converts from Satan's 
ranks, and they are commonly called " Soldiers of the Cross," 
" Soldiers of Jesus Christ," &c. (2 Tim. ii. 3, 4) ; and the 
other division consists of the same " angels " who fought 
under Christ's victorious banner in heaven, and they are now 
called variously "God's host" (Gen. xxxii. 1, 2), "Angels of 
God" (Gen. xxviii. 12 and John i. 51), and " Ministering 
spirits" (Heb. i. 13, 14). 

The army of Satan now consists of the same rebel sinners 
who fought under him in heaven, and were cast out with him 
into this world, except those who have repented and been 
converted here ; and his troops are now called " Evil Spirits " 
(1 Sam. xvi. 23), " Devils," &c. (James ii. 19, and Jude 6). 

The purpose for which Christ would come into the world 
(as well as the manner and time of his coming), was clearly 
foretold by the prophets of old. But only one of them will 
be referred to here however, because he is so full on this sub- 
ject that it cannot be necessary to cite others. Isaiah says, 
" So shall the Lord of hosts come down and fight for Mount 
Zion, and for the hill thereof " (Isa. xxxi. 4) ; " Behold, a 
king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in 



26 PEACE ON" EARTH. 

judgment (Isa. xxxii. 1) ; " For the Lord is our judge, the 
Lord is our law-giver, the Lord is our king ; he will save us " 
(Isa. xxxiii. 22). 

Let us next turn to Revelation, and see what is there said 
of the advent of the Saviour. " And I saw, and behold 
a white horse : and he that sat on him had a bow ; and a 
crown was given unto him ; and he went forth conquering, 
and to conquer" (Rev. vi. 2). Again, "And I saw heaven 
opened, and behold a white horse ; and he that sat upon him 
was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth 
judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of lire, and 
on his head were many crowns ; and he had a name written, 
that no man knew but he himself. And he was clothed with 
a vesture dipped in blood ; and his name is called The Word 
of God : and the armies which were in heaven followed him 
upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean " 
(Rev. xix. 11-14). Read also in this connection the forty- 
second chapter of Isaiah. Now, do not these passages from 
Revelation refer to the same glorious events which had been 
so predicted by Isaiah ? 

And, lastly, we will examine a few texts of New Testament 
Scriptures, and find what is said there as to the object of 
Christ's mission to this world, and the means by which he 
purposed to accomplish it. He said : " The Son of man is 
come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke xix. 10). 
As an evidence that this remark of the Saviour is properly 
interpreted here, see the thirty-fourth chapter of Ezekiel, 
where it is said, among other things, in prophetic language of 
him : " I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that 
which was driven away" &c. St. John says of him : " For 
this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might 
destroy the works of the Devil." (1 John iii. 8 ; see also 
Heb. ii. 14.) 

On such evidence we must believe that Christ came to seek 
and to save lost sinners ; and to do that he must destroy (neu- 
tralize) the evil influences of Satan. Then how did he pro- 
pose to do that ? Let him answer again for himself : " Think 
not that I am come to send peace on earth ; I came not to 



PEACE ON EAKTH. 27 

send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at vari- 
ance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, 
and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law : and a 
man's foes shall be they o£ his own household. He that 
loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me : 
and he that loveth -son or daughter more than me is not 
worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and fol- 
loweth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his 
life shall lose it ; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall 
find it." (Matt. x. 34-39 ; see also Luke xii. 49-53.) 

Do not the Scriptures above cited look decidedly belliger- 
ent? They are, however, very few of many found in the 
Bible which reveal the sad truth that the Christian life in 
this wicked world is at best but a continuous warfare ; and 
the best assurance we have of a triumphant result, as individ- 
uals, is found in the gracious promise of our victorious chief, 
that " He that endureth to the end shall be saved." (Matt. 
x. 22.) 

Upon this promise a number of grave questions arise, and 
should be pondered well by all who attach any considerable 
importance to the future life. Of such are the following : 
Will I endure to the end ? does my success depend in any 
way, or in any degree, on my own efforts? if so, how, and 
to what extent? and, u what must I do to be saved?" We 
must fight under Christ if we would reign with him. St. 
Paul charged Timothy to " war a good warfare," and warned 
him also that he must endure hardness " as a good soldier of 
Jesus Christ," and that " No man that warreth entangleth 
himself with the affairs of this life ; that he may please him 
who hath chosen him to be a soldier." (2 Tim. ii. 3, 4.) 

The great apostle to the gentiles, when he felt that his 
sands of life had well nigh run, and that the time for his 
departure was at hand, said, in pious exultation, to his son 
Timothy : " I have fought a good fight, I have finished my 
course, I have kept the faith ; henceforth there is laid up for 
me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous 
Judge, shall give me at that day." (2 Tim. iv. 7, 8.) 

Believing that no earnest seeker for truth will fail, on ex- 



28 PEACE ON EARTH. 



animation of the authorities already cited, to see that the war 
which originated in heaven is now progressing on earth, I 
will not therefore stop to comment on them, but will pro- 
ceed to show what the final result, according to prophecy, 
will be. 

Of the coming and character of Christ's kingdom, Isaiah 
says : " And they shall beat their swords into plough-shares and 
their spears into pruning-hooks ; nation shall not lift up sword 
against nation, neither shall they learn war any more " (Isa. 
ii. 4 ; see the same prophecy in Micah iv. 3). And, on that sub- 
ject, Daniel says : " And at that time shall Michael stand up, 
the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people ; 
and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since 
there was a nation, even to that same time ; and at that time 
thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found 
written in the book." (Dan. xii. 1.) 

Christ, who is called " Michael " — " the great prince " — by 
Daniel, is also called " Prince of peace " (Isa. ix. 6), " God 
of peace " (Rom. xvi. 20). And the multitude of the heavenly 
host, which was with the angel who announced the advent of 
the Saviour to the shepherds, praised God saying : " Glory to 
God in the highest, on earth peace," &c. (Luke ii. 14.) 

In relation to the texts last quoted it may be well enough to 
remark, that from the prophecies of Isaiah, Micah, and Daniel 
it is manifest that some war should cease, and that the people 
of Jesus Christ, after a time of unprecedented trouble, shall be 
delivered from their troubles, and that the nations of this 
world shall not " learn war any more." We must therefore 
believe that peace will be restored here. And inasmuch as 
Christ made the world and put our race upon it, inaugurated 
the war which now rages among us, commands one of the 
opposing armies, and is designated by such titles as " Prince 
of peace," " God of peace," " King of peace," &c, — it is but 
fair to suppose that he is, and will be, entitled to full credit 
for having established peace on earth. 

The authorities cited in this chapter, as it is insisted, prove 
the following facts : (1) That there was a war of some sort in 
heaven. (2) That Jesus Christ and Satan led the opposing 



PEACE ON EAETH. 29 



armies in that war. (3) That Satan and his followers n pre- 
vailed not " there, and were cast out of heaven and down to 
this world. (4) That there is a warfare in progress here, and 
that Christ and his celestial angels are engaged in this fight 
on one side, and Satan and his angels are engaged and fighting 
on the other side. Such being the facts, is it more reasonable 
to believe that this is the same war and among the same par- 
ties, or that it is a new war and between different parties ? 



30 PEACE ON EARTH. 



CHAPTER III. 

The same Subject continued. — Claims of Fallen Angels and of Men to 
God's mercy contrasted. — Effect of the Fall in Eden. — Eternal punish- 
ment. — Was not the sin of Adam and Eve pardoned ? — Inconsistency 
of the popular theory of the Fall and Redemption of Man. — Perfect, 
in the other view. — Conclusion. 

T3 EMEMBER, the proposition now before us is, in sub- 
-*-^- stance, that the war in heaven, of which we are informed 
in Revelation, has been transferred to this world and is now 
progressing here ; and that this war will continue until Christ 
shall have destroyed " the works of the Devil," and fully estab- 
lished his peaceful kingdom on earth. 

Now, reader, you must determine for yourself, and in your 
own way, whether the war now progressing in this world is 
the same which was begun in heaven, or whether we are a 
new and entirely different race of sinners ; and whether or 
not all of Satan's deluded followers in that war above were 
driven away into an eternal hell, and denied any sort of 
chance whatever to implore their Heavenly Father for his 
pardoning grace, or even to be heard in extenuation of their 
own crimes or in mitigation of their punishment. 

Every man is, or should be, the architect of his own faith. 
God will, if desired, help us in this grave work ; but he will 
not control our judgment against the will. 

If God so deals with his once holy angels of heaven, although 
thereafter seduced by Satan into forbidden paths, what may 
such sinners, as we of this world are known to be, expect at 
his hands ? 

They are the creatures of his power, and so are we. They 
were made just as he wanted them to be, and so were we. Is 
not this true ? They sinned and fell under the curse of the 
law, and so have we. Then for what good reason can we, as 
a family or class, expect more grace than was, or will be, ex- 



PEACE ON EARTH. 31 

tended to them ? Have we any evidence in the Bible that 
God has dealt, or will deal, less mercifully with them than he 
will with us ? If there is, what is that evidence, and where is 
it to be found ? 

In the absence of any Scriptural authority (and there is none 
such) for saying that God manifests such partiality between 
his children, in the government of his rational and accountable 
creatures, what sufficient reason can be given why he should 
act partially in our favor and against them ? Are we by nature 
better than they were ? Whether we and they are of the same 
family or not, we all have one Creator, one God, one Father, — 
have we not ? 

All Christians admit, as it is believed, that the angels who 
fell, under the lead of Satan, were originally as pure and 
holy, free and happy, as the steadfast angels now are. And 
it is the most popular theory, with us Protestants, to-day, 
that God condemned them (the fallen angels) to everlast- 
ing punishment, in the deep and dark abyss, at once ; and 
that he has not, and does not feel, the least commiseration for 
them, but is deaf to all their piteous moans and cries and 
lamentations ! And that he created this world — put the pro- 
genitors of a new and innumerable race of eternal spirits in 
that ill-fated garden, and fully within the power, and subject 
to the controlling influence, of the same archfiend who had 
already debauched and brought to sudden destruction (as it is 
said) his thousands, millions — yes, to us unknown billions — 
of God's own dear children, right around and before his throne 
in heaven ! 

And it is moreover believed, held, and taught, by the same 
conceited (though sincere) teachers, that we derive our being, 
soul and body together, from our parents ; that we inherit 
the sinful nature which accrued to Adam and Eve after, and 
in consequence of, their fall in Eden ; and that but for the 
timely intervention, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus 
Christ our whole race would have gone to hell, and there, with 
Satan and his (other ?) angels, to burn for ever, as a result of 
and for that one (comparatively) little sin in Eden ! 

And yet many of them, in concluding such harangues, 



32 PEACE ON EARTH. 



proclaim with floods of grateful and sympathetic tears the 
unbounded love of God for his sinful creatures ! Where is 
their consistency ? Or what fiend would punish his own crea- 
tures (if he had any) more cruelly than they represent our 
merciful God as punishing his misguided children ? 

The preceding remarks are made as applicable to Protest- 
ants only, because it is their view of our origin which is given 
as a basis on which to found them. But the theory that the 
soul of each is a new creature of God, brought into being when 
the body is born and ready for occupation, but which had no 
previous existence, — as held by the Mother Church, — gives 
our Catholic brethren no advantage in this respect. For, as it 
will be observed by every one who is capable of connecting 
two ideas together, this objection applies with equal force to 
one of these systems of religion as it does to the other. 

My dear Christian brethren, who minister in sacred things, 
permit one who is but an unprofitable lay member of the 
Church to submit a case for your consideration severally, 
and which I think is a fair one by which to test your common 
creed. Suppose that you are right as to our nature and origin 
(we agree as to the destiny of the finally impenitent), and 
that our blessed Redeemer had stood aloof, and left the whole 
Adamic family to their own fate, under the curse of his sin ; 
that you had died in infancy, never having violated any law 
whatever yourself, and that God had consigned you to that 
dread abode, there to wail and writhe in torment for ever, — 
and all that for a sin that you did not commit, could not prevent, 
and the act of another done some six thousand years before 
you had any real existence, — would you, in that case, have felt 
yourself under any very great obligation to your Creator, Law- 
giver, and Judge, for his tender mercies to you ? Would you ? 

And should it turn out, contrary to all your fond expecta- 
tions, that you are not one of the elect, but that you have 
failed to keep your body under and bring it into subjection ; 
and " that by any means," when you " have preached to 
others," you yourself should become " a castaway," — would 
you not think such punishment too severe for a merciful Creator 
to inflict on you, for no more than that sin and the part you 



PEACE ON EARTH. 33 



have acted in this life ? Is it not unreasonable to believe 
that a God of great compassion and tender mercy toward all 
his rational creatures would punish the worst sinner that ever 
lived, eternally, for the sins of this life only ? Just think of 
eternity, and compare it to the life of Methuselah ! The 
term of his life is to eternity less than one second is to ten 
thousand years ! Law-givers and courts of this world all 
agree that punishment for crime should bear some due pro- 
portion to the offense committed; but in the case supposed 
there is none. 

If any doubt is entertained as to that case, take this one. 
Suppose a kind-hearted, blithesome school miss, of fifteen 
summers ; one who was baptized into the Church when an 
infant, was blest with a pious mother who taught her to say 
her prayers night and morning as soon as she could lisp the 
name of Jesus ; one who has attended Sunday-school and day- 
school also regularly all her life ; one who is well educated 
and intelligent for one of her age, and who may never have 
done an act in violation of the decalogue in all her life, yet 
one who has not been " born again,'''' should die in that condi- 
tion, — would a merciful God punish her eternally with " the 
Devil and his angels " for her sins of this life ? She would 
die under the curse, would she not ? And according to the 
Orthodox creed she is lost — damned to all eternity ! And 
for what? In the case supposed, it would appear to have 
been done for no sufficient reason, if not for the pleasure (?) 
of seeing such an innocent, lovely creature tormented for ever 
with devils and damned spirits ! Is not the very thought of 
having charged our Maker and kind Benefactor with such 
horrid cruelty inexpressibly abhorrent to every true friend 
of God and of his Christ? 

Upon the hypothesis that we are of Satan's rebellious host, 
and that the Mosaic account of the temptation and fall in 
Eden (although literally true) is a figurative represen- 
tation of our real temptation, sin, and fall in heaven, — all 
such difficulties vanish away, as the darkness of night 
before the morning sun. For if we come into this life the 
trained servants of Satan, we must so remain, and abide with 

3 



34 PEACE ON EARTH. 



him and his for ever, if not pardoned, regenerated, or born 
again. 

As long as the leading advocates of the Christian religion 
so construe their own text-book, is it strange that Spiritualists 
use such language as the following, in reference to the God 
of Moses, and whom we adore ? " We do not say this igno- 
rant bigot, calling himself God, is not Jehovah: that, for 
aught we know, may have been his name ; but we do say that 
this whiffling, jealous Deity has not sense enough to govern 
the world." * They consider him (the God of Moses) the very 
wicked spirit of a dead Jew ! and in every respect as being 
greatly inferior to Moses himself. 

And if we admit that ours is a new race of beings " created 
in Adam" soul and body together, and that we have so de- 
scended from him, and that the purposes for which this world 
was made and man placed here were as is generally under- 
stood and taught by leading theologians, and believed by 
Christians generally of this age, — it should not be a subject of 
wonderment that men and women too, of clear, discriminat- 
ing minds, and who have been educated in the best schools 
of Europe or America, and learned to think for themselves, 
should become skeptical or even infidel, rather than embrace 
our theory of religion. 

In that view of our origin, and of the Divine purposes in 
our creation, and that all this was the workmanship of an 
omnipotent and merciful God, who foreknew all things and 
just as they would transpire when he made the world and put 
our common progenitors upon it, — how can we understand 
why it was that God permitted Satan to enter Eden, and 
there to accomplish his fiendish purposes ? Having all power, 
our Maker could have prevented the Devil from entering that 
garden at all, could he not? And could he not have con- 
trolled the will of Adam and Eve so perfectly, that the enemy 
could not have induced them to violate the Divine command ? 
He certainly could have so governed his own creatures, but 
he did not. Why did he not ? He foreknew precisely what 
Satan would do, if not restrained ; and he likewise knew the 
1 Hull : Origin of Man, p. 9. 



PEACE ON EARTH. 35 



weakness of his own (new?) creatures, if left without his 
support: yet he did not restrain the one nor sustain the 
others, so as to prevent the evil which has overtaken and 
(as it is generally believed) overwhelmed our whole race 
with ruin. Why was not Satan restrained, or his unsuspect- 
ing victims supported in that dark hour of trial ? God, on 
that occasion as well as upon all others, acted on good and 
sufficient reason, as we must not doubt. 

Let us now pass from the above difficulties, and see whether 
there are others which are no less stubborn. God is very 
merciful to his penitent children, is he not? "As a father 
pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear 
him " (Ps. ciii. 13). From the account given in Genesis, it 
appears that Adam and Eve " heard the voice of the Lord 
walking in the garden," and God called Adam : " And he 
said, I heard thy voice in the garden and I was afraid, because 
I was naked, and I hid myself." Then, "as a father pitieth 
his children," so, on that painful occasion, God pitied " Adam 
and his wife," did he not? Were they not sorry for what 
they had done ; and did they not believe in and fear God ? 

Then they believed, repented, confessed their sin, and 
feared the Lord. They were, therefore, as we are taught 
both from the Bible and the pulpit, just in that condition 
then to which we must all be brought before God will accept, 
forgive, and cleanse us from the pollutions of sin. " If we 
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, 
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness " (1 John i. 9). 
Upon such godly fear, repentance, and faith God will pardon 
sinners, will he not? Then why did he not pardon them? 
Who will say, in this view of the case, that he did not then 
and there pardon them ? 

Is and was not Jesus Christ " the same yesterday, to-day, 
and for ever " ? (Heb. xiii. 8.) By extending his pardoning 
love and cleansing power to Adam and Eve then, in the case 
supposed, would not all the works of the Devil have been de- 
stroyed? And would not the whole Adamic family have 
been as pure and holy as if that sin had not been committed 
in Eden ? 



36 PEACE ON EARTH. 



That would have been a more easy and expeditious, as well 
as a far more successful, way for our blessed Redeemer to 
have not only destroyed " the works of the Devil," but to 
have restored our race to that purity in which we were origi- 
nally created, than was the plan which he adopted, if that 
job in Eden was the only bad work which Adam and Eve and 
the Devil ever did — would it not ? A simple act of the Divine 
will — a kind word, as " go in peace and sin no more " — 
would then have been sufficient. It would have been beyond 
comparison more expeditious, as but a moment of time would 
have been required, and it certainly would have been a more 
successful way by which to accomplish the purpose desired; 
for by so doing the whole race of Adam would have been 
redeemed from the effects of the Fall, and saved eternally. 

Whereas, on the plan which was adopted, the labors and 
sufferings of the whole life, and the agonizing death, of God's 
only Son was required to inaugurate the plan, to prepare the 
way, by which we could be saved ; some six thousand years, 
more or less (as the case may be), have been and will be 
devoted to the execution of the undertaking : and the best 
opinion as to the result of all these tedious labors and painful 
sufferings seems to be that the Devil hitherto has had and 
now has and holds possession and full control of, and will 
most likely be able to retain, and will finally be required 
firmly to hold and safely keep for ever, a very large majority 
of our desperately wicked or most unfortunate family, as the 
case may be. 

If this life is but a continuation of the strife, rebellion, 
and war which originated in heaven, the scheme which was 
devised for the purpose of reclaiming all who were seduced 
into it by the Devil,. and who repent their folly and wicked- 
ness, is such as none but an all-wise God could have planned, 
and as none but a God " whose mercy knows no bounds " 
would have conceded. In this view, the whole plan is per- 
fectly symmetrical in all its appointments. It is complete — 
wanting in nothing. It is perfect. But, if we are an entirely 
new race of beings, and if this world was a new creation, and 
if Adam and Eve were made and put here for the purpose of 



PEACE ON EARTH. 37 



propagating a new family of eternal spirits (/) " for the glory 
of God and our own happiness," as is the popular theory of 
our time, the whole undertaking has thus far proved, and 
must continue to the end, to be nothing better than a regular 
succession of the most signal failures and disastrous defeats 
on the part of our Maker, and a continuous series of triumphs 
on the part of his and our enemy ! Is not this true ? 

If before we came into this world we were the servants of 
Satan, and had already been driven away with him from the 
presence of God and from the society of his holy angels, 
every sinner who repents in this life and returns to God is a 
trophy for Jesus Christ; for every change of allegiance which 
is perfected here constitutes another victory for him. And 
it was on account of this glorious truth that, when " the 
foundations of the earth " were laid (the plan of redemption 
perfected), " the morning stars (bright angels) sang together, 
and all the sons of God shouted for joy " (Job xxxviii.). And 
for the same reason still, " There is joy in the presence of the 
angels of God over one sinner that repenteth " (Matt. xv,). 

With these suggestions and Scriptural authorities, the 
reader must be left for the present to answer for himself or 
herself, whether the war which is now in progress on earth 
between Christ and Satan, and their respective armies, is a 
new one, or is it the same war which was begun in heaven 
and has simply been transferred to this world ? 

No good reason has been nor can be given why our common 
Father should have rejected for ever one erring family, and 
then created another and put them immediately under the 
baneful influence of the same evil spirit who had led the first 
to revolt and ruin — can there? If such reason exists, what is 
it ? And no authority is to be found in God's Word for say- 
ing that he did so — is there? If there is such authority, what 
is it, and where is it to be found? Then will we believe, 
without authority or reason and against both, that a God of 
so much goodness acted so cruelly, or that an all-wise and 
omnipotent Creator was foiled so completely as our God has 
acted and been foiled, if the popular theory under considera- 
tion be true? 



Q 



8 PEACE ON EAETH. 



No, that cannot be ; and the time has come when some 
people must and will think and act for themselves. No sys- 
tem of religion will satisfy the craving appetite of a perishing 
generation of educated men and women, which is at once 
inconsistent with itself, with common sense, and with the 
Word of God. 

Why is it that in this progressive age, and when every 
other branch of science is being so wonderfully developed and 
going on to perfection so rapidly, that theology alone is at a 
dead standstill ? There is a cause for this ; and it is so fully 
in view that every friend of Jesus Christ, who is capable of 
teaching, ought to see it. " Watchman, what of the night ? 
Watchman, what of the night ? The watchman said : The 
morning cometh, and also the night. If ye will inquire, 
inquire ye ; return, come ! " (Isa. xxi. 11, 12.) 

The morning came with the Babe of Bethlehem. The 
night ensued the substitution of the Creed for the Gospel 
system of religion. This remark will be considered bold by 
many ; it may prove offensive to some : but that it is true is 
a fact so palpable to every candid mind, that to argue it would 
be bootless. 

Watchmen, you who stand on the walls of Zion, would it 
not be well for you — for each and all of you who have one — 
to give up your little sectarian creeds and confessions of faith 
to the bats and the owls, and go back to your common text-book? 
Facts of the first importance are plainly revealed there, but 
which appear to have been entirely overlooked for many dark 
and dreary ages. " If ye will inquire, inquire ye ; return," 
come back to — 

" The Bible, the Bible, the dear, blessed Bible, 
The old-fashioned Bible that lay on the stand." 



PEACE ON EARTH. 39 



CHAPTER IV. 

A brief Statement of the leading Facts revealed, and which constitute the 
Bases of the Christian Religion. — First Proposition considered. — A 
Creator ; not chance. — A personal God. — Why Jehovah should assume 
a personal Form. — Opinions of Heathen. — Of the masses of Chris- 
tians. — Locality of God. 

r I ^HE following propositions are submitted for considera- 
tion, and which, as it is believed, embrace all the leading 
facts necessary to a brief but sufficiently comprehensive view 
of natural religion as revealed from heaven. 

I. There is an all- wise and omnipotent Creator, and whose 
name is Jehovah or Jah. 

II. He is a spirit, self-existent and eternal, separate and 
distinct from all other beings, and manifests himself to his 
holy, angelic creatures in a bodily form. 

III. He is the Father of spirits, and Author of all things, and 
which were created for his glory in the obedience and happi- 
ness of his rational creatures. 

IV. His home is in heaven ; yet he is everywhere and at all 
times present in his knowledge and power. 

V. Jesus Christ is the holy and most beloved Son of Jeho- 
vah-God, and like the Father he is an eternal spirit, separate 
and distinct from all other spirits, and who is revealed to us 
by his angelic name Michael, and as the Archangel, the 
"Word, the Prince of Peace, &c. 

VI. And the Holy Ghost is not another individual spirit, 
but the power and wisdom of God. 

VII. Man is a spirit, eternal, immortal. This is not his 
primitive state nor his permanent condition ; but he is here 
a prisoner of hope, clothed upon by a cumbrous body, and 
which serves the twofold purpose of a prison-house and the 
means of sense, thought, locomotion, and action. 

VIII. Satan is also an eternal spirit, of great power and in- 



40 PEACE ON EARTH. 



fluence. And having been himself deceived (by his pride and 
vain ambition), and gone astray from the peaceful paths of 
love and obedience to the law of his Creator, he thereupon 
beguiled and seduced a host of others, and induced them to 
follow him into rebellion and war in heaven. And in that 
war " Michael and his angels fought against the dragon 
(Satan); and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed 
not," but were " cast out into the earth," and are " reserved 
in everlasting chains under darkness, unto the judgment of 
the great day." 

IX. " The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlast- 
ing upon them that fear him," as rebel angels did after their 
fall. (Ps. ciii. 17; Ezek. xviii. 23-32; Jer. ix. 24; and 
Jer. xxxi. 3.) 

X. When those who had been so deceived and betrayed 
into sin, and cast out of heaven on that account, saw and 
realized their horrible condition, they became sorely penitent 
for what they had done ; and therefore " as a father pitieth 
his children " in their afflictions, so the Lord pitied them, 
"because his compassions fail not" (Ps. ciii. 13; Lam. iii. 22) ; 
and hence a covenant was made between the Father and Son, 
and a plan devised by them for their (our) probation and 
redemption. 

XL Pursuant to which benign arrangement, Jesus Christ — 
the Son of God, the Word — prepared this world as the place, 
formed the bodies of our progenitors, became himself the pro- 
pitiation for our sins, brings us into this life, and by the Holy 
Spirit teaches, warns, and offers each and every one pardon, 
full and free, who may prove worthy of such grace by repent- 
ance, faith, and obedience to the Divine will. 

XII. And when all who are included in that divine cove- 
nant shall have had a term of probation here, then " the Son 
of man shall come in his glory." " And before him shall be 
gathered all nations ; and he shall separate them one from 
another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats : and 
he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the 
left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, 
Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared 



PEACE ON EARTH. 41 



for you from the foundation of the world." And lastly, he 
will " say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, 
ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his 
angels." (See Matt. xxv. 31-34, and 41.) 

Our first proposition is, that " There is an all-wise and 
omnipotent Creator, and whose name is Jehovah or Jah." The 
question whether there is such a God, or whether all things 
that exist are the fortuitous productions of blind chance, or of 
a great creative law of Nature, as others prefer to express it, 
has been so frequently, so fully, and so satisfactorily answered 
already by friends of the Bible theory of our being, that I do 
not think it worth while to recall the witnesses or reproduce 
the arguments in this work, by which that view is sustained. 
What we call accidents do sometimes happen ; but to believe 
that the whole universe of worlds and the perfect system of 
laws by which they are governed, with all things rational and 
irrational that are known to be upon them, are the creatures 
of accident, or of a succession of accidents, requires a sort of 
credulity with which the God of Nature has furnished no 
man, and which can only be acquired at a cost of the most 
assiduous cultivation of a highly depraved mind, and which 
is guided by an equally perverse will. And therefore, without 
further remark, we will pass on. 

The second proposition is, that " He is a spirit, self-existent, 
eternal, separate, and distinct from all other beings, and 
manifests himself to his holy, angelic creatures in a bodily 
form." That God is a self -existing and eternal spirit is so 
universally believed by all who admit his being, that it is not 
considered necessary to adduce either evidence or argument 
to prove it. But the latter part of this affirmation presents 
a subject which requires a very different treatment. In that 
we find the question squarely before us, Is there a personal 
God? 

In approaching this sacred subject we should put off the 
shoes from off our feet, remembering that the place whereon 
we stand " is holy ground" To treat of the personality of 
God is to tread upon not only holy but dangerous ground ; 
and any attempt to teach or to know more of him or of his 



42 PEACE ON EARTH. 



ways than he has been pleased to reveal in his written Word 
would be at once irreverent and impious ! This will be care- 
fully avoided ; and it is with unfeigned diffidence, impressed 
with a sense of the most profound reverence and veneration, 
and in humble obedience to that which he feels to be an im- 
perative duty, that the writer accepts the delicate task of so 
much as calling the attention of the Christian world to what 
the great Jehovah has revealed of himself as an individual. 

To all who have searched the Scriptures with anxious 
desire, and for the holy purpose of knowing what is revealed 
there, and with no other motive than to avail himself or her- 
self of the benefit of such heavenly knowledge, it can but 
appear amazing that such grave duty should have devolved 
upon the friends of Jesus Christ and of his cause in this en- 
lightened age. In the earlier and purer days of the Church, 
Christians were wont to think, to talk, and to write about 
God the Father as the great Architect of the universe, the 
giver of all good, and as having a real personal existence. 

It was long the province of the infidel to speak of God as 
nothing more than the first cause, or the great creative prin- 
ciple in Nature. But the deceiver is abroad in the Church, 
and it is now a painful fact that learned (?) ministers of the 
gospel are often heard to speak of Jehovah-God in about the 
same way; and further, as pervading the whole universe of 
worlds, and as being everywhere present at all times and in 
all things. 

And it is moreover now held and taught by many, and 
who are accepted as Orthodox, that the soul, the spirit, which 
animated the body of Jesus Christ was human, and differed 
from the souls of other men only in this, that he partook 
more fully of the Divine nature ; and that he ascended to 
heaven in his body, and is now there in his human form. And 
it is furthermore the common doctrine of so-called Orthodox 
Christians (and heterodox also) that the Holy Ghost is a 
person, equal with the Father and the Son, and yet that 
there are not three Gods but one only. 

Before looking into the Book of inspiration to learn what 
has been revealed to us of our Creator, let us notice some of 



PEACE ON EARTH. 43 



the principal reasons for believing that there is, or that there 
is not, a personal God. For the purposes of this inquiry, we 
must admit that there is at least an active, intelligent, first 
cause, or a great creative principle and power in Nature, and 
to which power all things whether animate or inanimate, 
rational or irrational, owe their being. And in this admission 
we deny that all things owe their existence to pure chance 
or accident, — or waive that question rather for the considera- 
tion of the other. 

Now there being an active intelligent cause, or creative 
principle or power, which has brought every thing that we 
see, feel, or know to exist into the condition in which we find 
it, we must believe that great creative power could have 
made for himself a body in and by means of which he could 
have manifested himself to his rational creatures. That he 
could have done so, it is believed, will not be controverted by 
any one. Then, he could have made for himself a body for 
such benign purposes. Now is it more likely that he would 
or that he would not have done it ? To answer this question 
satisfactorily, we must look first to the purpose for which such 
creatures were made. If God created them for his own glory, 
as held by some, is it not most reasonable to believe that he 
would have enabled himself to appear before them in a per- 
sonal or bodily form ? By that means he could have presented 
himself in person before them, and they could therefore have 
realized his being, his presence, his power, and his goodness 
to them more fully, and they could have felt and expressed 
their gratitude to him more perfectly. Is not this true ? 

And if the chief motive in the creation of holy angels and 
men, such as the redeemed of this world will be, was that 
they should be happy as well as holy, then would he not most 
likely have put it in his own power to appear in person be- 
fore them, and to admit them to his sacred personal presence, 
that they might not only see him, but hold sweet converse 
with him face to face ? Would not such angelic, intelligent 
creatures have desired such blessed privilege? And would 
such unspeakable joy and gladness be denied them ? 

But let us suppose that the ruling desire in the Divine 



44 PEACE ON EAETH. 

mind in all this creation was to render himself the more 
glorious by bringing into being such a host of happified and 
godlike creatures that he and they might live, rejoice, and 
dwell together in unity and purity (as most assuredly was 
the case), then is it not easy to believe that he did prepare 
a body for himself, and one for each of them also, and all in 
his own u image " ? But again, it appears that many people 
of all heathen nations believe that there is a Great and 
Good Spirit (a personal God), who made all things, and 
who presides over and governs all his creatures. That certainly 
is the faith of such as make images representing — as they 
imagine — the form, parts, and features of the Great Spirit, 
and set them up in such manner that they can behold his 
likeness (as they suppose) while engaged in his worship. 

And, furthermore, it is thought safe to say that as many as 
ninety-nine in every hundred of the great mass of unlearned 
Christians (and to include such as read the Bible and nothing 
else on religious subjects) now believe that God the Father 
sits in person on his throne in heaven, and that Jesus Christ 
sits on his right hand interceding for his people continually. 
Now how and from whence does such universal belief arise 
and possess the pious mind of so many people of different 
ages, countries, and conditions, and who can have had no 
other common teacher, and upon a subject of such sacred 
interest, if the Holy Spirit does not impress it there ? And 
if so obtained, is not such opinion well founded? 

In view of such facts and considerations, the most natural 
and reasonable inference (in the absence of all authority) is 
that there is a personal God. Is not this true ? If we admit 
that there is a personal God, we cannot deny that he is at 
some particular place. For the very idea of person and that 
of place are inseparably connected ; and every person in exist- 
ence must be at some particular place. 

And, therefore, if God is everywhere and in every thing 
at the same time, he is in no particular place nor in any 
particular thing at any time, and he can have no personal 
identity nor individual being. And if he is everywhere and 
in every thing in general, he is nowhere and in no particular 



PEACE ON EARTH. 45 

thing ; and, therefore, is as no thing. Now what is the differ- 
ence between no thing and nothing ? If there is any difference 
between the two, it is infinitesimal ; and if searched for, it 
could not be seen with the aid of a first-class microscope. 

Hence we learn that if there is no personal God, and if 
all things have sprung from nothing more than a great crea- 
tive principle in Nature, as held by some Christian teachers, 
then the atheist is right ; and he and all that class of Chris- 
tians have agreed as to the nature and character of the 
Author of all things, and therefore they should quarrel no 
more about their religion. I will only remark further on 
this interesting branch of our subject at present, that all who 
hold that there is a God admit that he is a spirit ; and they 
also admit that there are many other celestial spirits; and 
further that all the others have bodies, distinguished by size, 
form, and features. Is it not wonderfully strange, then, that 
all the eternal spirits have bodies but one, and yet that the 
only one who has no body should have been the Father of 
all the other spirits ? 

It may occur to some, as a first impression, that the idea 
of God's personality is inconsistent with that of his omni- 
presence. But a little reflection will suffice to remove that 
error ; for if God is an individual essence, a being separate 
and distinct from all his creatures, and possessing the attri- 
butes of omniscience and omnipotence, he must have the 
power also of being everywhere present at the same time, and 
in some real sense. And here the question arises, how or in 
what sense is God everywhere present at the same time ? If 
he is present everywhere and at the same time in such sense 
as to constitute omnipresence, as he certainly is, he must be 
so present either in person or in his knowledge and power. 
This being the case, is it more reasonable to believe that he 
is personally present everywhere and at once, or that he is 
in person always at some particular place (as is the case with 
men), and that his knowledge and power extend everywhere 
and to all things, so that he can search all hearts and under- 
stand all the " imaginations of the thoughts" of all men at 
the same time ? And, in fine, is it not easier to believe that 



46 PEACE ON EARTH. 

a God whose attributes and powers are all concentrated into 
a perfect spiritual body, should have and exercise all the 
wisdom, mercy, and power which our God is known to pos- 
sess, than it is to believe that a mere creative principle, 
which it is said exists in all Nature and pervades all things, 
should have and exercise such power, wisdom, and mercy ? 
These questions are left to find their own answers in the 
thoughts of all fair-minded readers. 



PEACE ON EARTH. 47 



CHAPTER V. 

The same Subject continued. — Scriptural Proofs. — Was it the Soul or 
the Body of Adam that was made in the Image of God ? — Moses 
talked with God about his Body. — New Testament Authorities. — 
Spiritual and natural Bodies. — Conclusion. 

T TAVING already given such reasons for believing that 
-*- -*■ there is a personal God as will, if no more, serve to 
prepare the mind of all readers, who are not so far gone in 
unbelief as to have become absolutely impervious alike to 
natural reason and to revealed truth, for a fair and unpreju- 
diced consideration of what God has been pleased to reveal of 
himself, and for our good, we will now call attention to cer- 
tain texts of Scripture which bear directly upon that subject. 
And in doing this we will begin at " the beginning." 

In Gen. ii. 7, we are informed that " The Lord God formed 
man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils 
the breath of life ; and man became a living soul." And in 
the first part of the fifth chapter we learn that " In the day 
that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him ; 
male and female created he them," &c. On these and other 
similar Scriptures, the question has been made whether it was 
the body or the soul, the spirit, the immortal part of man, 
that was made " in the likeness of God." 

In the investigation of that question we should note care- 
fully what is said there about the creation of both the soul 
and the body, as well as what is not said as to the creation of 
the soul. Of the body it is on record that " the Lord God 
formed man of the dust of the ground." Or was it the soul 
and not the body that was formed of the dust of the ground ? 
That appears to have been all of man that was created on that 
occasion ; and therefore we must believe either that the soul 
was formed of the dust of the ground, or that the body was 
made in the "likeness of God; " or we must reject the whole 



48 PEACE ON EARTH. 

narrative as an unmeaning fable. Is there any way of escape 
from this conclusion ? If so, where is it ? In the absence of 
any revelation to the contrary, we must believe that it was 
the body that was intended as having been made " in the like- 
ness of God," or reject the authority altogether. Is not this 
true ? 

But again, if the soul was made then, or if it was at that 
time as it was when originally created, we cannot admit that 
it was the soul of Adam which was made in the likeness of 
God, or like him, without denying the perfection of our Crea- 
tor. For, according to that history, man was then not only 
imperfect, but he was subject to the delusive influence of 
Satan ; and, as we learn there, he did in fact and soon there- 
after yield to the subtle insinuations and temptations of the 
Devil (aided by Eve his wife), so far as to violate the positive 
command of his Creator, and which was, as it would seem, 
the only law or restraint under which he was placed. Was 
that god-like ? 

Observe, further, that there is not a word said in Genesis 
as to when, of what, or in what likeness, form, or image the 
soul of man was made. Yet we are there informed circum- 
stantially of the time when the body was made, of the mate- 
rial of which it was formed, and in whose likeness it was 
made. These facts alone afford sufficient evidence on which 
to form the three presumptions (if nothing more) which fol- 
low : (1) That it was only the body of man which was made 
then. (2) That it was made in the likeness of God; and 
(3) That the soul was in being before that time. 

As to what it was that is called " the breath of life," and 
which was "breathed into his nostrils," and distinguished 
man from all other animals, and which entitled him there- 
upon to be considered and called " a living soul," the Mosaic 
history does not inform us. He was not called the first, or 
the only, or even the "living soul," but " a living soul." Note 
that fact. Were there not many other " living souls " (spir- 
its) at that time? If there were not, who or what were "all 
the sons of God (that) shouted for joy" when "the founda- 
tions of the earth" were laid? These considerations, unaided 



PEACE ON EARTH. 49 



by otliers, afford material for such argument as could not be 
successfully answered, tliat it was the body and not the soul — 
the spirit, the immortal part of man — that was made in the 
likeness of God. Now the likeness, the form, the image of 
man we know. Then in what true sense could it have been 
said that the body of man was made in the likeness of God, 
if he has no likeness, no bodily form, and if he is nothing 
more than a creative principle which exists in Nature ? 

Let us now go back to Gen. i. 26, 27, and read and reflect 
on what is there said about the creation of man. " And God 
said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness," &c. 
" So God created man in his own image, in the image of God 
created he him," &c. What do these Scriptures mean ? If 
read and construed in that plain, common-sense sort of way in 
which w T e read and construe all other writings the meaning 
of which we want to get, we would understand from them 
that there were two or more persons present and together ; 
that they had previously determined to make man ; that they 
were then consulting as to the form in which he should be 
made ; that one of the parties proposed to the other that they 
make him in their own image and likeness ; that the propo- 
sition was accepted by the other party ; and that man was 
created in that form or image which was common to both (or 
all) of those who were then present and concerned in his crea- 
tion. Is not all that, and more, clearly implied in these two 
verses ? We learn from them, also, that the two or more per- 
sons present and so engaged were both or all (as the case 
may have been) of the same image and likeness, and that 
man was made so as to have the same form and appearance 
which was the common one in which both or all of those pres- 
ent appeared — do we not? If we concede that it was the 
body and not the soul of man that was made " of the dust of 
the ground" (and who will say that it was not?), we must 
also infer from these texts that man, and all who were pres- 
ent at the time of his creation, were of the same personal form 
and appearance — must we not ? In this view of these Scrip- 
tures, there must have been at least two individual personages 
then and there present, before the body of man was formed ; 

4 



50 PEACE ON EARTH. 

and Adam having been made in the same form, there were 
then at least three persons present, and all having the same 
general appearance — were there not ? 

It appears, also, that there was a conversation had and a 
consultation held between those who were present and co-op- 
erating in that work of creation. Who were the parties so 
engaged? This is a very interesting question; but we will 
not pause to consider of it further in this place, than to sub- 
mit one thought for the benefit of such religious teachers 
as may profit by it. Those who hold the very common but 
unscriptural as well as unreasonable opinion, that God the 
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost are all one 
and the same, and that the three persons constitute but one 
God, must esteem that conversation as nothing more than a 
soliloquy, — God talking to himself ! 

Is not that view of the matter fearfully disrespectful to the 
Almighty? Any dogma which involves, as a necessary se- 
quence, the necessity of believing that the great Jehovah was 
on that important occasion engaged in an idle conversation 
with himself, as crazy people sometimes do, should be dis- 
carded at once : and for that reason, if there were no others 
for repudiating it. 

But as some may doubt whether the above texts have been 
properly construed, a few others are here given simply to sus- 
tain the interpretation offered of those already cited. " And 
Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in 
his own likeness, after his image ; and called his name Seth " 
(Gen. v. 3). Now, in all seriousness, would any sane man 
suspect for a moment that the words "likeness" and " image," 
as used in this instance, have reference to the soul, the spirit 
of Adam, and not to his body ? Such an idea is too absurd 
to admit of grave argument. And yet they are identically 
the same words which are so often used by the sacred writers 
in giving the resemblance of Adam to our Maker. 

The following passage is also too clear to admit of doubt on 
this subject : " Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall 
his blood be shed ; for in the image of God made he man " 
(Gen. ix. 6). Would the meaning of this text have been any 



PEACE ON EARTH. 51 



more plain if it had been written thus : " For in the image of 
God made he the body of man ? " I think not. 

We will now turn to a class of Scriptures which prove more 
directly (although not more conclusively) that God has a 
body consisting of form, size, and parts, as do the bodies of 
men, and that he manifests himself to his creatures in his 
bodily form. 

In the thirty-third chapter of Exodus we have an account 
of a conversation between the Lord God (or God the Father) 
and Moses, " face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend ; " 
during which God concealed himself in " the ckmdy pillar " 
which stood at the door of the tabernacle. Moses desired to 
see his God, " And he said, Thou canst not see my face ; for 
there shall no man see me and live. And the Lord said, 
Behold there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a 
rock. And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, 
that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock ; and I will cover 
thee with my hand while I pass by ; and I will take away 
mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts ; but my face 
shall not be seen." (The last four verses.) 

Remember that we are informed, on the authority of this 
same Moses (in Gen. v. 1), that man was created in the like- 
ness of God. Is it not utterly impossible, therefore, to recon- 
cile the above language of the Almighty himself with the 
truth upon any other hypothesis than that God did occupy a 
body on that occasion, and that it was " in the likeness " of the 
bodies of men ? Particular mention is made there of his 
face, his hand, and of his back parts. 

From this Scripture (as well as from others) it appears 
that God has forbidden any of us seeing his face in our present 
sinful state. Moses was anxious to see his God, who was 
present and conversing with him face to face, but who care- 
fully concealed himself in the cloud ; and Moses was denied 
the privilege of seeing more than his back parts. Now what 
are we to understand that Moses was to see under that prom- 
ise ? What did he expect to see ? He certainly had reason 
to believe that he would see all the parts of the body of his 
Maker, as well as the size, form, proportions, &c, of each and 



52 PEACE ON EARTH. 



of all of them together ; just as he could see the several parts 
of a man walking from him. Is not this the plain mean- 
ing of the Divine promise ? If so, Moses expected to see the 
back parts of the head, neck, arms, trunk, legs, and feet of 
The Divine Person ! — did he not ? Would God have made 
Moses that promise if he had no such essential body that he 
could have shown him ? Why conceal himself in a cloud, if 
God had no body that could have been seen without the cloud ? 
To deny that he had such body would be blasphemy ! (See 
Num. xii. 6-8, and Ps. xvii. 15.) 

From the fact that God said to Moses : " I will put thee 
in a cleft of the rock ; and will cover thee with my hand while 
I pass by," &c, we must infer that God's body is much larger 
than are the bodies of men ; for he could not otherwise have 
so completely covered Moses and the cleft of the rock in which 
he was to be put with his hand, as to have concealed himself 
entirely from Moses until he should pass by and withdraw 
his hand. 

This view is perfectly consistent with what is said in Gen- 
esis, that " God created man in his own image, in the image 
of God created he him ; male and female created he them." 
By the word image, as repeated there, we must understand 
the general form and appearance of each as intended, and 
without any reference to the size of either. This is mani- 
festly true, because the same word image is applied there to 
Adam and Eve both ; and it is certainly the most reasonable 
supposition that their bodies differed in size and form just as 
the bodies of men and women now differ in these respects. 
And, furthermore, it was evidently intended to embrace the 
whole race of men — male and female — as being created in 
the image of God : and we are all of the same general form, 
likeness, and image, as compared to other animals and created 
things ; notwithstanding the vast differences as to size, form, 
color, features, &c, which are well known to exist between 
men, and not only men of different races, but of the same 
race and sometimes of the same family. 

Attention is again called to the proposition in Genesis : 
" Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." In the 



PEACE ON EARTH. 53 



first chapter of St. John's Gospel we are informed that God 
the Father and God the Son (" the Word ") were both present 
on that important occasion ; and thereby we learn that the 
conversation, which is in part recorded there, was had be- 
tween the Father and Son. And, as after that suggestion 
was made we are told that man was made in the image of 
God, we find that the bodies of God the Father and of- Jesus 
Christ were in the same image and likeness ; yet of the 
comparative size of the two we learn nothing there. But 
from these Scriptures the inference is irresistible that, after 
the body of Adam was formed, God the Father, God the Son, 
and man, their creature, were all three of the same image and 
likeness. Is not this true ? 

Before passing from this part of our subject, it may be well 
enough to remark further as to the size of the Divine Person, 
that it is reasonable to suppose that the body of the Creator 
is larger than are the bodies of his steadfast and holy angels. 
Because, if they too are of the same average size and in the 
common likeness of men, as we have abundant reason to be- 
lieve that they are, it would be easier for them to distinguish 
him from one another by his great size than perhaps by any 
other means which wisdom could have devised. That is the 
way that God has provided to enable bees to distinguish their 
queen from each other, whether he has adopted the same 
convenient plan for his subjects to identify himself from other 
spirits or not. And simple as the case may appear, there is 
some reason for believing that the same means would have 
been employed to produce the effect desired in one case as 
well as in the other, and therefore that the same plan was 
adopted in both cases, and for the same purpose. 

We find mention made of various other parts of God's body 
by the sacred writers, and in such way as we would not 
expect those good and holy men to have written if he has no 
body. For instance, we read of his head, face, eyes, month, 
ears, arm, hand, feet, and of his voice also ; as in the following 
passages : " He put on righteousness as a breast-plate, and an 
helmet of salvation upon his head''' (Isa. lix. 17). "The 
eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open 



54 PEACE ON EARTH. 



unto their cry. The face of the Lord is against them that 
do evil," &c. (Ps. xxxiv. 15, 16). "Blessed be the Lord 
God of Israel which spake with his mouth unto David my 
father," &c. (1 Kings viii. 15). " Hast thou an arm like 
God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?" (Job 
xl. 9.) " I will stretch out my hand and smite Egypt " 
(Exodus iii. 20). " I will make the place of my feet glori- 
ous " (Isa. lx. 13). 

The Scriptures cited above have been taken chiefly from 
the Old Testament writers, as the careful reader must have 
observed. Let us now notice a few texts found in the New 
Testament, and see whether the same great truth is taught 
there. "So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, ho 
was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of 
God" (Mark xvi. 19). See also Rom. viii. 34, and 1 Pet. iii. 
22. From these passages, is it not the most natural inference 
that God the Father and Christ the Son are and appear to 
those about them as separate and distinct persons ? And if 
we give implicit credence to what these writers said, must we 
not believe that both the Father and Son sat on the throne 
above, and side by side ? 

" God is a spirit " (John iv. 24). Now what is a spirit in 
the sense intended here ? Observe, it is not said that God 
is the spirit, nor the Great Spirit, nor the Father of spirits ; 
but that " G-od is a spirit" as if there are other spirits " in 
the likeness of God." 

The book of Revelation begins thus : " The Revelation of 
Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him to show unto his 
servants things which must shortly come to pass ; and he 
sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John." 
From this we learn that this Revelation was given by the 
Father to the Son, and that Jesus Christ " sent and signified 
it by his angel unto his servant John." Further on we are 
informed that the several messages to the churches were 
accompanied with the blessings of the Father — " the seven 
spirits which are before his throne " — and of Jesus Christ 
(Rev. i. 4, 5). From the tenth to the nineteenth verses 
St. John relates his vision of " the Son of man," describes his 



PEACE ON EARTH. 55 



personal appearance, and states what Christ first said to him, 
&c. And by reading in connection Rev. xv. 5, 6, xxi. 9, and 
xxii. 8, 9, we find that the angel which St. John says " talked 
with " him was not only the same angel mentioned in the 
first verse, but that he was one of the seven spirits who sent 
their blessing to the churches, and one of the seven angels 
who " came out of the temple, having the seven plagues," 
&c. : and, furthermore, we learn that he was the redeemed 
spirit of one of our old prophets ! 

And it is evident that the angel — the spirit which appeared 
to St. John on that occasion — was so perfectly in that form 
which is called in Gen. i. 26 "our image," "our likeness," 
that St. John thought it was the Saviour who was still talk- 
ing to him ; for otherwise he would not have attempted as 
he did to worship him. 

In these passages from Revelation the terms " angel " and 
" spirit " are repeatedly used (as by other Bible writers) as 
convertible, and meaning just the same thing. And in the 
seventh verse of the second chapter (and frequently there- 
after) Christ is called "the spirit," but meaning the spirit 
whose message the angel was delivering. Hence we conclude 
that all angels are spirits, that the holy angels are " all min- 
istering spirits," as St. Paul represents them as being, and 
that God is a spirit also; yet he is not an angel, but the 
Creator of angels — " the Father of spirits" 

To constitute a man " a living soul," he must be " clothed 
upon " with a natural body ; so an angel consists of an eternal 
spirit clothed with a " spiritual body," each being a spirit, and 
inhabiting a body adapted to his condition. As to the bodies 
of angels, no more can be necessary here than to refer to the 
frequent mention which is made of them by all the sacred 
writers both of the Old Testament and the New, and to call 
attention to the fact that they are uniformly spoken of as 
appearing in bodily form, and " in the likeness " of men. 
And, therefore, as " God is a spirit," he must have a body ; 
for without it he would not be a spirit — would he ? 

Is it not impossible to form any well-defined conception or 
idea of such a thing as a spirit without a body? What sort 



56 PEACE ON EARTH. 

of being would it be ? It could not be seen either by angels 
or men, and therefore it could not have an image nor a like- 
ness, could it ? Such spirit or angel could be no more than 
some imaginary " principle in Nature," or " natural principle," 
as is the God of the atheist ; a mere imaginary intelligence 
without size, form, feature, individuality, or locality — a 
phantasm ! Is that the sort of something-nothing that Bible 
readers understand angels — spirits — to be ? 

But we must remember that it is insisted by those who 
deny the existence of a personal God, that it was the spirit 
and not the body of God " in the image " of which man was 
made ; and that it was the soul, the spirit of man, and not 
his body that was made in the image of God. As to that I 
will only remark further in this place, that the early history 
of our race proves but too clearly that man was vastly inferior 
to Satan intellectually, and subject to the controlling influence 
of that evil genius in his actions. Was man in that respect 
like God ? Is the great I Am inferior in capacity to Satan ? 
or is he liable to be deceived and led into error by him, as 
man was when and as he was put in Eden? If God was not 
in any particular the inferior of his enemy the Devil, but had 
full power over him, and was not liable to err, man was not 
then like God spiritually, was he ? And, therefore, as the 
soul and body together constitute the man, and if the spirit 
of man was not then like the spirit of God, man must have 
been like his Creator in his personal appearance (his body), 
if he was then made " in the image of God " in any true sense. 
Is not this conclusive ? 

Other Scriptures are no less conclusive on this subject ; 
a few more of which we will now look into. St. Paul in- 
forms us that God sent " his own Son in the likeness of sinful 
flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh " (Rom. viii. 3). 
And again, that man " ought not to cover his head, for as 
much as he is the image and glory of God " (1 Cor. xi. 7). 
"Was it the spirit or was it the body of Jesus Christ that was 
sent into this world, and which was " in the likeness of sin- 
ful flesh"? If it is not the body of man which "is the 
image " of God, why is it that he " ought not to cover his 
head"? 



PEACE ON EARTH. 57 



" Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus ; 
who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be 
equal with God ; but made himself of no reputation, and took 
upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness 
of men " (Phil. ii. 5-7). See also 2 Cor. iv. 4 and James iii. 
9. Remember that spirits are created, and bodies are usually 
said to be made. 

Now if we believed the sacred writings with that childlike 
confidence which is due from us to the revelations of God, we 
would be satisfied from this last quotation alone, and if the 
subject were nowhere else touched in the Bible, that God the 
Father and Christ the Son each appears to others about them 
in personal form, and that both are "in the likeness of men." 
Or will it be replied that it was the spirit of the Son, and 
not his body, that was " in the/orm of God " and " in the like- 
ness of " the spirits of men ? If that were true, would not 
our blessed Saviour have needed a redeemer as much as did 
those whom he came " to seek and to save " ? Into what 
depths of folly and irreverence will not a bigot in religion go, 
rather than abandon a pet dogma ! 

The great apostle to the gentiles, in speaking of the Father 
and Son, uses these words in reference to the latter : " Who 
being the brightness of his glory and the express image of 
his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, 
when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the 
right hand of the Majesty on high " (Heb. i. 3). Note care- 
fully the language : " the express image of his PERSON " — 
" sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." It 
hardly will be contended that St. Paul meant to say that the 
spirit of Christ was the express image of the person of the 
Father, nor that the spirit of the Father was the " express 
image " of the hody of the Son. But from the closing remark, 
that the Son " sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on 
high," the inference cannot be resisted that the apostle in- 
tended to be understood as saying that the image, the per- 
sonal form and appearance, of the Father and Son were 
precisely alike ; and that when Christ had finished the work 
assigned him in this world, he ascended to heaven and took 



58 PEACE ON EARTH. 

his seat on Jehovah's throne, and on the right hand of his 
Father God. 

With one other suggestion we will pass on. The very 
thought of a person is inseparable from that of a place. 
Every individual person must be at some particular place. 
If, therefore, God occupies a body distinct from all other 
bodies, he must at all times be at some one place, from which 
he can send abroad his agents, messengers, &c, and to which 
place they can return to his personal presence. Is he so 
provided with a place ? 

Let us see. King David says : " The Lord's throne is in 
heaven" (Ps. xi. 4). And again: "From the place of his 
habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth " 
(Ps. xxxiii. 14). " The Lord is exalted: he dwelleth on 
high" (Isa. xxxiii. 5). The Saviour taught his disciples to 
pray to " Our Father which art in heaven " (Mat. vi. 9). 
Why address the Father as being in heaven, if he is on earth 
and everywhere else just as he is there ? If we believe these 
Scriptures, we must learn from them, if we have not learned 
before from them or others of the same import, that God has 
a home, a "place of habitation" and that his throne is in 
heaven. 

But that is not all. " There was a man sent from God 
whose name was John. The same came for a witness," &c. 
(John i. 6, 7). If God is everywhere at the same time, how 
could he send a man from himself? " I came forth from the 
Father, and am come into the world ; " again, " I leave the 
world and go to the Father " (John xvi. 28). Why should 
Christ have left the world to go to the Father, if God is every- 
where ? Or why say he was going to the Father, if the great 
Creator is everywhere, and has no individual being nor 
place of abode ? 

The following remarks are to be found in the ever to be 
remembered prayer of Jesus Christ, just before his arrest : 
" This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only 
true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent" " I came 
out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me." 
" And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the 



PEACE ON EARTH. 59 



world, and I come to thee.'''' "And now I come to thee." 
" As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I sent them 
[his disciples] into the world." " That the world may believe 
that thou hast sent me." " These have known that thou hast 
sent me " (John xvii). 

If Christ and the Father are one and the same — one in per- 
son, — and if God is everywhere (as some hold), how could 
our Saviour have said, "I am no more in the world"? If 
there is not a personal God, and who is at some place, how — 
with what meaning — could Christ have said to the Father 
and repeated the same words so often, " Thou hast sent me," 
and " I come to thee " ? To those who really believe that 
Christ was sent into this world from the home of the Father, 
which is in heaven, and that, too, on account of his and their 
solicitude for those whom Jesus the Christ came to save ; and 
that, in view of the awful death through which he had to pass 
so soon, that prayer was uttered in agony of soul, and that 
heaven was open to him, and he saw the Great Jehovah in all 
his loving-kindness looking down upon him, and as none but 
a God of love can look, — to such as so believe, I say, the lan- 
guage used on that dread and glorious occasion is not only 
perfectly natural, but it is easy to understand. " Father, the 
hour is come ; " "I have finished the work thou gavest me to 
do ; " " And now I come to thee." The whole of that divine 
prayer is at once childlike and Godlike. In sublimity, it is 
simple ; and in simplicity, it is sublime. 

If the Scriptures already quoted under this head are ac- 
cepted as true, the question is settled : there is a personal 
God who created us, and a personal Mediator and Friend who 
has redeemed us. And under a firm conviction that the 
authorities which have been cited are sufficient of themselves 
to satisfy all who will take the trouble to examine them, and 
who may do so with a fervent desire to know the truth, that 
there is a personal God, I bring this part of our inquiry to a 
close. It cannot be necessary further to tax the patience of 
my readers, by pointing them to the host of other like Scrip- 
tures, all of which testify to the same divine truth, and upon 
the maintenance of which the whole system of Christian 
theology depends. 



60 PEACE ON EARTH. 



CHAPTER VI. 

The Glory of God. — Happiness of his Creatures. — All were made as 
best for themselves. — God has a Home, a Throne, a Mercy-seat. — 
His All-seeing Eye penetrates the Universe. — He sees us, observes 
our ways, and by them tries us, proves us. — Closing Remarks. 

/^VUR third and fourth propositions are : " (3) All things 
^^^ were created by him, and for his glory in the obedi- 
ence and happiness of his rational creatures ; " and " (4) His 
home is in heaven, yet he is everywhere present, and at all 
times, in his knowledge and power." 

Both of these subjects have been partially treated in the 
preceding chapter. That course became necessary in our 
inquiries as to the personality of God ; and it is for this rea- 
son that these two are considered together. And but few 
other remarks are intended with reference to either of them. 

For those who admit, the existence of such a God as it has 
been insisted above that there is, no further authority nor 
argument is deemed necessary to prove that " all things were 
created by him." The sacred writers are too clear, and facts 
and things which are known and seen are too conclusive to 
the mind of all who so believe, to require any more evidence 
of that fact. 

It may be well, however, to consider briefly the leading 
purpose which guided the Divine will in the creation of 
worlds and of rational beings to inhabit them. In speaking 
of man, by the prophet Isaiah, God says : M I have created 
him for my glory" (Isa. xliii. 7). As mind is more excellent 
than matter, so living spirits are more glorious than lifeless 
bodies. We may therefore conclude that happified spirits — 
holy angels — were the chief objects of desire moving our 
Creator in all his works, and that all other things were made 
with a view to his benign purposes concerning them, and to 
his foreknowledge respecting them. Hence it may be said, 



PEACE OX EARTH. 61 

that, in some sense, God made every thing, whether animate or 
inanimate, rational or irrational, for purposes of his own glory. 

But an important as well as a very delicate question arises 
here as to the way in which God derives his glory, his pleas- 
ure, from his works. And, as is usual in such cases, different 
and erroneous views are entertained upon that subject. The 
generally prevailing idea, even among Christians, seems to be 
that, as a man of unbounded wealth, high position, and of 
great power among men feels happy, even proud, of his large 
estates, official authority, and of the personal respect, not to 
say veneration, which is accorded him by his less favored 
countrymen, — so God, in looking over his domain of worlds, 
and contemplating his matchless power and wonderful works, 
and particularly in receiving the praise, thanksgiving, and 
adoration alike of men and angels, feels about the same way ! 
Many good people have been punished for heresy, as all ad- 
mit ; but for what heresy which was half so disparaging to 
God or damning to men, as this certainly is, was ever a here- 
tic burned, drawn, or quartered? Is God subject to the influ- 
ences of pride and vanity as an egotistic man? When he 
who created all things looks down upon this sin-smitten 
world, and beholds the thousands and millions of his intelli- 
gent creatures hastening the downward road that leads to a 
yawning hell, does he delight in the scenes and prospect 
which lie before him ? Does he look with pleased anticipa- 
tion to that fatal day, when the blue flames from the depths 
of that burning lake shall come booming up and bound aloft, 
freighted with and bearing far away the plaintive cries and 
hideous groans of the lost, the eternally damned? 

No, my Christian friend! the God of the Bible is a merci- 
ful God. Love is his first attribute, — the mainspring in all 
his works. " God is love ; " "I have no pleasure in the death 
of the wicked," saith the Lord God ; " Because he delighteth 
in mercy," says Micah. In speaking of the redeemed, Isaiah 
says : " Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of 
The Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God," and 
" as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God 
rejoice over thee." 



62 PEACE ON EARTH. 

Remember, our proposition is " That God derives his pleas- 
ure, his glory, from the obedience and happiness of his rational 
creatures." Then it may be asked, why he did not make us 
all so good, pure, and steadfast that none could fall into sin or 
rebellion, and go down to eternal death ? If we admit the 
perfection of God in wisdom, power, and love, all such ques- 
tions may be answered easily and simply by saying that he 
did make all just as we were made, neither better, worse, nor 
different; because that was the best condition, for us, in which 
we could have been created. Every known law and fact in 
Nature conspire in support of this hypothesis, and all good 
reason and fair Biblical construction tend to prove it. If we 
believe that God loves his creatures, as the Bible plainly 
declares that he does, and that his power is limited only by 
his own will, how can we doubt that he so made us ? 

" No failure in the success of any one of God's wise and 
beneficent schemes can fairly be inferred from the circum- 
stance of a part of his holy angels having violated his right- 
eous law, and gone so far into sin as to require their removal 
from the presence and association of those who remained 
steadfast. It is hazardous for erring man to essay any great 
penetration into the thick darkness that conceals from us 
many of the divine secrets which are connected with the won- 
derful providences of an all- wise God. It may not, however, 
be considered presumptuous to make a suggestion as to a prob- 
able reason why the Almighty permitted the Devil to deceive 
some of the angelic creatures, which were originally made holy 
and good, into sin and rebellion. 

" That God could have restrained Satan and all his dupes 
from doing that, whatever it was, for which he and they have 
been, and are to be, severely punished, there need be no doubt, 
and will be none with those who admit the truth of the 
Bible. He did not, however, and for some good reason as we 
must believe, see fit to do so. Then the question arises, why 
did he not interfere to prevent the serious consequences of his 
and their conduct ? 

" Good and sufficient reasons may have existed, and of 
which we can form no sort of conception, why he did not 



PEACE ON EARTH. 63 



interfere. But one reason occurs to my mind why he allowed 
Satan, and all who associated and co-operated with him, to 
pursue just such a course as each might prefer in the matter, 
and then held all parties, of every grade of capacity and social 
position, to strict account for whatever part each may have 
taken therein. 

" Let us first notice the effect that the contrary course 
would have had. To have prevented Satan, for instance, 
from doing that which he desired to do, would have been 
inconsistent with that freedom of will which must be enjoyed 
by every rational creature to render him happy. 

" If not free, he was a slave ; and if a slave, and possessed 
of any very high order of intelligence, as he assuredly was 
and yet is, he would have been miserable. He could only be 
happy as long as he was free to act upon his own judgment, 
and pursue the dictates of his own will. God therefore saw 
fit to allow him to enjoy his unrestrained liberty, and to act 
in that way which pleased him most, as long as his conduct 
consisted with the peace and contentment of others who loved 
and kept his commandments. But when the time came that 
the quiet and happiness of others were seriously interrupted 
by the course which Satan and his followers were pursuing, 
be and they were driven out of heaven, and sent to a place of 
safety until they shall be finally disposed of, and where they 
could hinder the joys of none bat themselves. 

" Of course, God foresaw what the result of giving his holy 
angels the liberty of doing as they pleased would be when he 
made them. And as he could have made them either so per- 
fect as to be infallible, or have restrained their conduct as he 
pleased, but did neither, we must conclude that he had some 
good reason for leaving them both fallible and free. We may 
therefore safely infer that such state of being is more condu- 
cive to the happiness of his creatures than any other would 
have been ; and that, too, when we estimate all the conse- 
quences of our fall. 

" It may be, and the presumption therefore is, that the 
aggregate amount of happiness enjoyed by his rational creat- 
ures, after making due allowance for the miseries suffered by 



64 PEACE ON" EARTH. 



Satan and his adherents, is greater than it would have been 
if God had ordered his providence in any other way. Is not 
fallibility incident to freedom of the will ? 

" The loss of Satan, and of those who. have and may elect 
to remain with him, may prove such wholesome warning to 
others as to prevent, during all eternity, another revolt from 
the just and liberal rules prescribed for the government of all 
the heavenly hosts. The most perfect freedom of will may 
in all probability be enjoyed by all others with entire safety. 
Those who finally may be redeemed on earth and restored to 
their former relations with those they left in heaven, having 
the privilege to mix and mingle freely with them (as it is 
most likely will be the case), must exercise a wonderfully 
healthy influence on others who have had no experience in 
the hardships of a sinner's career. 

" There would be no risk in becoming the surety of any one 
of us who may be so fortunate as to make our way back to 
that fair and happy land, that we will keep the peace ever 
thereafter. Should any of the redeemed of earth ever wit- 
ness another " War in Heaven," it will be only in the capac- 
ity of spectators. And the happiness of the whole celestial 
family will probably be highly intensified by the contrast of 
their own condition with that of those miserable, lost creat- 
ures who will ever stand as living witnesses to the vengeance 
of an angry God, and of the folly and danger of worshipping 
a creature rather than the Creator. 

" If these views be correct, the very rebellion of Satan will 
redound to the glory of God, and increase the quantum of 
happiness enjoyed by his creatures. And the wisdom of his 
scheme will have been put to the test, and thereby proven to 
the satisfaction of all his rational creatures, Satan included, 
to have been the very best that could have been devised, and 
perfect in every particular." 1 

11 Faultless thou dropt from his unerring skill, 
With base power to sin since free of will: 
Yet charge not with thy guilt his bounteous love ; 
For who has power to walk, has power to rove." 2 

1 War in Heaven, p. 300. 2 Arbuthnot. 



PEACE 0£T EARTH. 65 

We now come to the inquiry whether it is true that " God's 
home is in heaven ; yet he is everywhere and at all times 
present in his knowledge and power." Having had occasion 
to notice the locality of God, in connection with his person- 
ality, it is not thought necessary to dwell at any considerable 
length on that part of our subject. 

Micaiah said to the king : " I saw the Lord sitting on his 
throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his 
right hand and on his left" (1 Kings xxii. 19). See also 
2 Chron. xviii. 18. Of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, 
it is said that, " He, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up 
steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus 
standing on the right hand of God" (Acts vii. 55). For our 
encouragement Christ said : " To him that overcometh will 
I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame 
and am set down with my Father in his throne " (Rev. iii. 21). 
The man child, who was to rule all nations, " was caught up 
unto God and to his throne " (Rev. v. 12). 

No comment of mine could make the meaning of the Scrip- 
tures last above quoted more plain than the inspired penmen 
have made them. The question, therefore, whether God has 
a home, a throne — a place at which he may be addressed 
by his people who are here, as " Our Father which art in 
heaven," and where he is seen by angel spirits — is one which 
depends altogether upon the trustworthiness of the sacred 
writings. For if we believe that the Bible is the Word of 
truth, we must believe that there is a place, a throne, a 
mercy seat, where God the Son and God the Father have 
been, now are, and will be seen hereafter. 

That God is everywhere and at all times present in his knowl- 
edge, power, and loving-kindness will not, as it is hoped, be 
denied by any professed Christian. In speaking of the omni- 
presence of God, the Psalmist says : " If I ascend up into 
heaven thou art there ; if I make my bed in hell, behold thou 
art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in 
the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand 
lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely 
the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light 

5 



66 PEACE ON EARTH. 

about me ; yea, the darkness hideth not from thee, but the 
night shineth as the day; the darkness and the light are 
both alike to thee " (Ps. cxxxix. 8-12). 

It cannot be necessary to adduce other evidence on this 
point. No friend of the Almighty God will, as I trust, at- 
tempt to construe this Scripture as applicable to his personal 
presence ; for none such would desire to have his home fixed, 
his bed made, in the second place named by King David, as 
one to which that presence which was intended by him ex- 
tends. And notwithstanding that it is not thought worth 
while to offer any more proof of God's omnipresence " in his 
knowledge and power," yet it is important that we ever bear 
in mind the fearful truth that " The Lord is in his holy 
temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven ; his eyes behold, his 
eyelids try, the children of men." 

The all-seeing eye of him who created us is ever upon us, 
in every place and under every circumstance: day and night 
are one with him. He observes carefully all our ways, and 
will " without respect of persons " " reward every man accord- 
ing to his works" Oh that every poor, ungodly sinner could 
fully realize his horrid condition in this life ! Then would 
he repent ! Then would he " return unto the Lord while 
it is called to-day ! " 



PEACE ON EARTH. 67 



CHAPTER VII. 

Fifth Division. — Jesus Christ a Spirit. — Distinct from all others. — 
And the Beloved Son of the Father. — The term Eternal defined. — 
John i. 1, 2, construed. — Proof of individuality of Son. — Apparent 
Biblical discrepancies reconciled. 

"\ T 7E have now reached the fifth division of our subject, 
* * and proceed to show that " Jesus Christ is the holy 
and most beloved son of Jehovah-God, and like the Father 
he is an eternal spirit — separate and distinct from all other 
spirits ; and he is revealed to us by his name Michael, and as 
the Archangel, the Word, the Prince of Peace, &c." 

If we admit that God the Father " is a spirit, self-existent, 
eternal, and separate, and distinct from all other beings," 
we will find it a necessary conclusion from that one fact that 
Jesus Christ is also a separate and distinct individual spirit. 
And we must admit that much as to the Great Jehovah, or 
deny the divine origin of the Bible, and thereby reject the 
only evidence we have of the main facts upon which the 
Christian religion is based. 

But it is not the plan of this work to leave facts of such 
magnitude with no other support than mere conjecture or 
inference, however strong the conjecture or clear such infer- 
ence may be. The writer does insist, however, upon the 
divine rule, "That in the mouth of two or three witnesses 
every word may be established." And, although that rule 
was given as applicable to the testimony of men, it is more 
safe, in the absence of any positive " thus saith the Lord," 
to consult " two or three " passages of Scripture before accept- 
ing as established any controlling or leading, yet controverted, 
fact. This necessity arises not from any want of confidence 
in the verity of revelation, but as a consequence of our own 
imperfections, and of the well-known fact that our transla- 
tions of the Bible are all imperfect. 



68 PEACE ON EARTH. 

Now, with such cautious care, let us approach the deli- 
cately divine subject which lies before us, and see first whether 
" Jesus Christ is the holy and most beloved Son of Jehovah- 
God." The Psalmist says: "Thou wilt not leave my soul 
in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corrup- 
tion " (Ps. xvi. 10). As conclusive evidence that King David 
was not rejoicing in hope of a glorious future awaiting him- 
self when he wrote that verse, but that his language was 
prophetic, and related to the coming Messiah, read what the 
apostle Peter said of it in Acts ii. 27-31. Moreover, it is 
said of Christ : " No man hath seen God [the Father] at any 
time : the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the 
Father, he hath declared him " (John i. 18). And it is said 
that Abraham, in whose bosom Lazarus was seen, " offered up 
Isaac, Ms only begotten son " (Heb. xi. 17). 

From these Scriptures we learn that Jesus Christ is the 
Holy One, and to whom it was promised that his soul should 
not be left "in hell," and that his body should not "see cor- 
ruption," and that he is the only begotten Son of the Father. 
Now, Christ being the only one who was assured before he 
came into this life, as men come into it, that he should not 
be exposed thereby to an eternal home in hell, and that his 
body should not return to dust, while all the rest of us come 
liable to the one fate and certain of the other, — the fair pre- 
sumption is that he was and " is the holy and most beloved 
Son of Jehovah-God." 

And inasmuch as the same words are used to express the 
relations which existed between Abraham and his son Isaac 
that are used to express the relations that exist between God 
the Father and God the Son, we should not infer that they 
are one in person because it is said that the Son " is in the 
bosom of the Father ; " for, in speaking of Lazarus and of his 
condition after death, our Saviour himself said that " the 
beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's 
bosom " (Luke xvi. 22). But we ought rather to construe the 
word " bosom" as found in each of these cases, figuratively, 
and as meaning heaven — the place where Jesus is, and the 
place where Lazarus and all others of the redeemed are. 



PEACE ON EARTH. 69 



With a few more texts in reference to the first division of 
this subject, we will leave it and pass on. " And Jesus, when 
he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water ; and 
lo ! the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the spirit 
of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him ; and 
lo ! a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in 
whom I am well pleased " (Matt. iii. 16, 17). See also 
Mark i. 10, 11. When Christ was transfigured on the moun- 
tain before Peter, James, and John, " A bright cloud over- 
shadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud, which 
said, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased ; 
hear ye him" (Matt. xvii. 5). The Great Jehovah never 
having given such manifestations of paternal affection for any 
other, the conclusion becomes irresistible that Jesus Christ 
is his most dearly beloved Son. 

In the last two quotations above we have such evidence, 
likewise, as should satisfy all who feel any considerable rever- 
ence for God and for his revealed Word of the separate exis- 
tence of the Father and Son. Those who receive the gospel 
truths and instructions with that child-like confidence which 
is enjoined by the Saviour, cannot doubt but that the u voice 
from heaven " in the first, and the " voice out of the cloud " in 
the other, were the utterances of the Father, made by him in 
the presence and hearing of, and concerning, his Son. To 
deny that would amount to a charge against our blessed 
Redeemer of a deliberate attempt to deceive those who were 
present on each occasion, and with the intention of deceiving 
them as to his individuality, and in regard to the personal rela- 
tions existing between himself and his Father. Is there any 
way of escape from this dilemma; and, if there is, where 
is it? 

If the Father and Son are one in person, as some hold that 
they are ; and if " the Godhead bodily " dwelt in the Son, 
and in that sense in which St. Paul is (but most erroneously) 
understood as intending to say was the case, — then the 
"voice" which was heard at each of these memorable events 
must have proceeded from the Son, as ventriloquists cause 
sounds and words to appear as coming from persons and 



70 PEACE Otf EARTH. 

directions different from the true ones. Is there a Christian 
on earth who would purposely charge our Lord and Master 
with duplicity and deception, and that too in a matter so 
sacred ? There is not. There were, most assuredly, two par- 
ties present both times, one of whom claimed the paternity of 
the other, and commended him as his " beloved Son." Is not 
this true? 

Our next subject of inquiry is, whether, like the Father, 
the Son is an eternal spirit. The term " eternal " seems 
properly to denote continuance only. In this sense it is most 
frequently used by the sacred writers ; when applied to the 
eternal Jehovah it should be understood as referring to his 
having neither beginning nor end of existence ; as in Deut. 
xxxiii. 27 : but when used in reference to men, nothing more 
than everlasting life or duration is intended ; as in Mark iii. 
29. In our proposition the word eternal is intended to be 
understood as meaning, in addition to continuance, about the 
same as the Scriptural expressions, " in the beginning," 
" from the foundation of the world," " before the foundation 
of the world," &c. 

Now to prove that Christ is an eternal spirit in that sense 
is by no means difficult. The first two verses of the Gospel 
by John read thus : " In the beginning was the Word, and 
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same 
was in the beginning with God." As these two verses now 
stand in our Bible, the second has no meaning ; for the first 
alone contains every idea that is expressed in both together ; 
and the first verse, in its most literal construction, is made to 
represent the terms Word and God as synonymous : so that 
the two leading thoughts to be gathered from the passage as 
we have it are, that God the Father and the Word (Jesus 
Christ) are one and the same in person — one God, and that 
" in the beginning " he was by himself. In other words, St. 
John is represented as saying, in substance, that God was with 
himself and by himself at the time and place alluded to. 

That there is some imperfection in the translation of these 
two verses is manifest ; because as they now stand the second 
verse has no meaning, but is mere tautology. Is not this 



PEACE ON EARTH. 71 

true? Now let us see if we can detect the error, from the 
construction and general intendment of the whole passage 
considered together, and find how to give both verses some 
reasonable meaning, and finally learn how to get the true 
sense of each. This can all be done simply by inserting 
between the last two words of the first verse the expletory 
words the Son of The text would then read thus : " In the 
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and 
the Word was the Son of God. The same was in the begin- 
ning with God." 

The translators usually supplied words in this way, when 
necessary to give the sense of the original ; and they uni- 
formly italicized them in the same way, for the purpose of 
notifying their readers that such words are not in the origi- 
nal manuscripts from which our Scriptures were translated. 
This fact all well-informed readers know already. But by 
some means or from some cause they failed in this instance to 
supply these or any other words to preserve the meaning of 
St. John, in this the very first paragraph of his Gospel. 

With the help of the above three little words we readily 
get an intelligible meaning, if no more, from both verses. 
And if the plainest, most natural interpretation of this Script- 
ure is the correct one (as it unquestionably is), we have herein 
proof conclusive, not only that Christ is an eternal spirit, but 
of the separate existence of the Father and Son also. 

Without stopping to give any thing like a full exegesis of 
this passage of Scripture, it is thought sufficient, for present 
purposes, to submit the remarks which follow. From the fact 
that the word " beginning " appears in both verses, we should 
infer that two different times or occasions and places are 
alluded to. One of the occasions intended may have been 
when the determination to create this world was made, and 
the other time evidently was when the world was made, and 
the place intended by the evangelist is the same of which we 
read in Genesis. 

The great leading truths which St. John evidently intended 
first to record in his Gospel were that God the Father and 
Jesus Christ were both present at the time and place of the 



72 PEACE ON EARTH. 



creation of this world ; that the Father was and is the Au- 
thor of all things ; and that the Son, in virtue of the power 
vested in him by the Father, in his presence and pursuant to 
his instructions, formed this world and all that was then made. 
His purpose in that appears to have been to impress on the 
minds of his readers a true and appreciative sense of the divin- 
ity, power, and goodness of the Redeemer whom he preached 
to our fallen race. The enemies of Christianity, then as now, 
denied the divinity of Christ, and held that he was nothing 
but a man, and a deceiver at that. 

It is generally conceded that the terms " Word " and " God," 
as found here, mean the same as Son and Father. And that 
the inspired writer intended to be understood as stated above 
will clearly appear by reading that chapter down to the thirty- 
fourth verse. The third affirms that " All things were made 
by him " &c. The tenth informs us that " He (the Word) 
was in the world, and the world was made by him" &c. In 
this connection see further Eph. iii. 9, Col. i. 16, and Heb. i. 
2. None who read and believe the Scriptures already cited 
to prove that Jesus Christ is an eternal spirit can fail to be 
satisfied as to that point. 

Here the question recurs, Is Jesus Christ a separate and 
distinct individual being ; or is he one and the same with 
the Father? In citing Scriptural authorities to show the 
separate existence of the Great Jehovah, nearly or quite as 
much evidence was produced as would be necessary to satisfy 
any unprejudiced mind of the perfect individuality of the 
Son also. But as abundant proof lies in both the Old and 
New Testaments to establish either propositions separately, or 
both jointly, as may be preferred ; and inasmuch as the ques- 
tion whether God the Father and God the Son are both but 
one and the same person, or whether they are two distinct 
individuals, is one of the first magnitude, — it is thought best 
to call the reader's attention to a few more Scriptures that 
bear directly upon it. 

The Bible was evidently written for the sole and benign 
purpose of instructing honest and earnest inquirers in certain 
great facts and laws, which God was pleased to reveal and pre* 



PEACE ON EARTH. 73 

scribe to and for the good of fallen man. And they were 
written in such way, that the class of readers for whom they 
were intended could with reasonable care and diligence under- 
stand them correctly, and avail themselves of the blessings 
provided therein. But no care was taken to avoid the criti- 
cisms of the mere caviler, nor the false construction of the 
shallow pretender in religion. 

If, therefore, we really want to know the truth, for the love 
of truth, on any theological question, or on every one which 
it is important that we know and observe in regard to our 
present duties and eternal interests, we should first divest our- 
selves of every bias of mind and of all preconceived opinions, 
and then " search the Scriptures," comparing one with another 
as we proceed, with anxious desire to know the truth, the 
path of duty, the way to everlasting life ; and we should 
proceed with a fixedness of purpose within us to walk in that 
way, regardless alike of the opinions of others and of the tem- 
poral consequences to ourselves. And all our reading and 
reflections should be mingled freely with fervent supplications 
to " Our Father which art in heaven," for light and knowl- 
edge ; and ever bearing in mind the gracious promise, that 
" If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth 
to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given 
him " (James i. 5). Is that true ? I believe it is true ; and, 
if so, there can be no necessity for any difference in opinion 
among Christians as to the path of duty, or way to life. 

Let us first look into such texts as are relied upon to prove 
that the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost are one. 
" There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the 
Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one " (1 John 
v. 7). " He that hath seen me hath seen the Father " (John 
xiv. 9). "I and my Father are one" (John x. 30). These 
Scriptures, if nothing more were said on the subject, would 
establish the identity of the three as but one in person, 
clearly. 

But let us look further, and read such texts as these : The 
Lord said to Moses, " There shall no man see me and live " 
(Exod. xxxiii. 22, 23). " No man hath seen God at any time " 



74 PEACE ON EARTH. 



(John i. 18). " My Father is greater than I " (John xiv. 28). 
"I can of mine own self do nothing; as I hear I judge; and 
my judgment is just, because I seek not mine own will, but 
the will of the Father which hath sent me " (John v. 30). 

All these Scriptures must be believed by the learned Chris- 
tian, or he cannot be accepted as a disciple of Christ ; and 
notwithstanding, as read here, they make issues as complete 
as were ever submitted to a jury for trial. " I and my Father 
are one ; " " My Father is greater than I," — how can that be ? 
" He that hath seen me hath seen the Father ; " " No man hath 
seen God at any time ; " — and how is that ? Many had seen 
" God the Son." Contradictions more complete can nowhere 
be found ; and the Bible is full of such discrepancies. In 
Sam. xvii. 46, we read, " There is a God ; " and again in Ps. liii. 
1, " There is no God." One or the other of these affirmations 
must be untrue. 

It is, however, to the true believer a precious fact that all 
such Biblical issues, contradictions, and inconsistencies are 
made up very much in the same way by which we get the 
last one above. And that was done (as will be seen by turn- 
ing to the two passages cited) about as it is said that a good 
old Puritan brother, when he wanted to preach a sermon 
against pride, fixed up his text, — " Top-not come down," — 
from Matt. xxiv. 17. 

And I here repeat the remark that, when read and construed 
as all candid and capable people read and construe every 
other book, there is no contradiction nor any discrepancy 
whatever to be found in the doctrines taught from the first of 
Genesis to the last of Revelation. When such persons want 
to get the true meaning of any book or other writing, — and 
whether on the subject of public policy, religion, or any thing 
else, — they do not content themselves with reading a part of 
one verse, nor with any one sentence, paragraph, nor chapter 
even, and conclude that from such part they have found and 
taken in the entire views and intendments of the author upon 
the subject treated. So far from that, such students read the 
whole writing ; and if doubts arise as to the meaning of any 
part of it, they diligently compare such part with others, and 



PEACE ON EARTH. 75 



if necessary with every other part, and thereby fairly get the 
real views of the author of the book or other writing as a 
whole. 

Now let us adopt some such plan by which to get at the 
cause of such apparent conflicts arising from the texts of 
Scripture as quoted above. We will first compare them with 
other remarks taken from the same authorities, and try by 
that test to find wherein the errors lie. And let us take up 
in the first place the following words of the Saviour, " I and 
my Father are one," and inquire in what sense he intended 
to be understood as to the oneness of himself and his Father. 

Just before his betrayal, Jesus in prayer said : " Holy 
Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast 
given me, that they may be one as we are." " As thou hast 
sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into 
the world." " Neither pray I for these alone, but for them 
also which shall believe on me through their word ; that they 
all may be one ; as thou, Father, art in me and I in thee, that 
they also may be one in ws." " And the glory which thou 
gavest me I have given them ; that they may be one, even as 
we are one " (John xvii. 11-18, 20-22). Observe, the Son 
prayed that not only his disciples who were then following 
him, but that all who should believe on him " through their 
word," " may be one even as we are one^ All are embraced 
in that divine petition who may believe and be saved during 
all subsequent ages of the world ; and all are to be one, as the 
Father and Son are one ; and the Father, Son, and all the 
redeemed are to become one. " As thou Father art in me, 
and I in thee, that they also may be one in us." 

Is there any true and real sense in which it may properly 
be said that the Father and the Son, each being personally 
distinct from the other, and all the disciples of Christ, each 
of them also continuing individual persons, all " may be one " ? 
There is just such sense ; and that certainly is the sense in- 
tended by the Saviour every time he spoke of such unity : 
and that oneness is to be found in love, purpose, labor, success, 
and destination. The Father, the Son, and every disciple of 
his, each and all love one another ; their purpose is one, and 



76 PEACE ON EARTH. 

their labor is joint, " to seek and to save that which was lost ; " 
and the same result awaits the efforts of each as to the final 
salvation or loss of every sinner that comes into the world. 
And, above all, the Father, the Son, and all the redeemed of 
earth are destined to become members of one happy family 
eternally in heaven. 

We will here notice a few other Scriptures in which the 
term one is used in a similar sense. In Gen. ii. 24, it is said 
that a man and his wife " shall be one flesh." That passage 
is quoted by the Saviour (Matt. xix. 5) in nearly the same 
language. And St. Paul, in speaking of man and wife, says, 
" And they two shall be one flesh " (Eph. v. 31). Such forms 
of expression are often found in the sacred writings ; but no 
sane man can believe that St. Paul (for example) desired to 
be understood as saying that a man and woman by marriage 
become absolutely " one flesh " — one body ! That way of 
construing the writings or words of any one having common 
sense is ridiculous. 

Man and wife are one while they dwell in the "flesh " in 
many respects. They are one, to a great extent at least, in 
their temporal interests, rights, hopes, fears, failures, successes, 
&c. But as eternal spirits they are altogether different ; one 
may serve God and the other obey Satan while here, and 
thereby each secure a permanent home far away from the 
abode of the other. And it is only in reference to their 
worldly relations of unity that we speak of them as one. The 
members of mercantile and other business firms are frequently 
spoken of in connection with their business interests as one. 

And to reconcile all apparent conflict in the remarks of 
the Saviour, " I and my Father are one," and " My Father is 
greater than I," and again, " I can of mine own self do noth- 
ing," " I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father 
which hath sent me," &c, — it is only necessary to construe the 
first of these texts as we do the very same words, " are one" 
when applied to Christ and his disciples, to man and wife, to 
members of mercantile firms, &c. But if we insist that the 
Father and Son are one in person, or deny the separate exis- 
tence of each (and which amounts to the same thing), it will 



PEACE ON EARTH. 77 



be found impossible to reconcile these affirmations with each 
other on any reasonable hypothesis. 

If the Father and Son are one, the same in every respect, 
how can either be greater than the other ? Yet the Saviour 
said, " My Father is greater than I ; " and again, " I can of 
mine own self do nothing." How is it that the Creator of 
the universe can of himself do nothing ? If the Father and 
the Son are but one and the same person or spirit, how could 
the one have sent the other from heaven to earth, and re- 
mained above himself? Why should Christ have prayed to 
the Father that his disciples should all be one, as he and the 
Father are one, if they are but one and the same in every 
respect? Are all the disciples of Christ, the redeemed of 
our race, to be merged into and become one individual 
person ? 

As nonsensical as such thought must appear, we cannot 
otherwise construe the language of the Saviour, as quoted 
above, if he and his Father are literally but one person, — 
the same eternal spirit. In that view, to the holy angels in 
heaven there will ultimately be but one individual person or 
spirit seen there, and which will include the Father, the Son, 
and the whole family of the redeemed from this world — all 
having been swallowed up into and become but one ! For, 
as we have seen, the Saviour prayed, " As thou Father art 
in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us." But 
again, how are we to understand these words of the Saviour, 
"I and my Father are one," in any other light than in the 
one already given ? For if they are one in every sense, it is 
impossible that either can be the father of the other, — is 
it not? 

The illustrations already given are deemed sufficient to 
explain the meaning of all the texts given above (including 
1 John v. 7), and other similar ones, in relation to the unity 
of the Father and Son, and to show that there is no real con- 
flict between them and others by which the individuality of 
each is plainly taught, — with but one exception, and we will 
now proceed to notice that one. In John i. 18, we read this : 
" No man hath seen the Father at any time ; " and in John xiv. 



78 PEACE ON EARTH. 



9, we find these words : " He that hath seen me hath seen the 
Father." Here appears to be as plain and positive a contradic- 
tion as the most malignant enemy of Christ and his Church 
could desire to find. That " no man [as such] hath seen God 
[the Father] at any time," is a fact well sustained by other 
sacred authorities ; and that nothing more was intended by 
St. John is evident. The difficulty arises in the mind of 
most readers as to the interpretation of the Saviour's mean- 
ing, when he said, " He that hath seen me hath seen the 
Father." To those who agree with the writer of this as to 
the origin of our race there is no sort of trouble about that ; 
for I am well satisfied that we have all seen both the Father 
and the Son often before we came into this life. And that 
solemn truth was most likely uppermost in the divine mind 
when that remark was made, because in the same conversa- 
tion (verse 7) the Saviour said to Thomas : " If ye had known 
me, ye should have known the Father also ; and from hence- 
forth ye know him and have seen him." 

Note the phraseology each time : first, " From henceforth ye 
know him [the Father] and have seen him ; " again, " He that 
hath seen me hath seen the Father." The past tense was used 
both times. Christ said to his disciples on another occasion, 
" Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of " (Luke ix. 
55) ; and to certain Pharisees at another time, and in the 
presence of his disciples, he said, " Ye are from beneath, I am 
from above ; ye are of this world, I am not of this world ; " 
" I speak that which I have seen with my Father, and ye do 
that which ye have seen with your father ; " " Ye are of your 
father the Devil," &c. (John viii. 23, 38, 44). From these 
remarks it is very certain that neither the Pharisees nor his 
disciples knew then "what manner of spirit" (what family 
of spirits) they were of. It was nevertheless the prevailing 
belief with all Jews, at that time and before (the infidel Sad- 
ducees only excepted), that the souls of all men had lived 
(and in a better state than this) somewhere before coming 
into this life, and that we will live for ever. 

The better opinion, therefore, is that his disciples under- 
stood the Saviour when he said, " He that hath seen me hath 



PEACE ON EARTH. 79 



seen the Father," as having reference to the personal likeness 
of himself and the Father ; and that they construed his lan- 
guage as if he had said, " He that hath seen me hath seen the 
image q/"the Father ; " and that he so expressed himself intend- 
ing to be understood in that way, and at the same time to 
excite doubts in their minds whether something more was not 
intended, and if so what it was, as he frequently did. That 
remark seems to have been generally so understood by Chris- 
tian writers ; and correctly, too, unquestionably. 

The editors of an edition of the Bible with notes and refer- 
ences, published by the American Tract Society, make no 
comment on that verse ; but for an explanation of the words 
now under consideration refer to Col. i. 15 ; and there the 
apostle in speaking of the Son says, " Who is the image of the 
invisible God, the first bom of every creature." And in 
Heb. i. 3, St. Paul is still more clear and full on that point ; 
he most indubitably understood the Son as if he had said, 
" He that hath seen me hath seen [the image of] the Father." 
And so we see that inspired and uninspired Christian writers 
alike agree as to the construction of that remark of the Son. 



80 PEACE ON EARTH. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

The same Subject continued. — Prophecies of the Son consulted. — 
How they are construed in the New Testament. — Application. — 
Conclusion. 

"V\ 7*E will now pass from the consideration of texts which, 
^ * when read alone, seem to favor the view that God the 
Father and Christ the Son are one and the same in person, 
and notice other Scriptures from which the conclusion that 
they are entirely separate and distinct beings is irresistible. 
And for the purpose of preparing the reader's mind the better 
to understand what the Saviour said himself of the Father 
and of their relations each to the other, as well as what the 
evangelists and apostles said on that sacred subject, attention 
is called first to some of the prophecies in relation to the 
Messiah. 

In Isaiah ix. 6, we have this : " For unto us a child is born, 
unto us a son is given ; and the government shall be upon his 
shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsel- 
lor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince 
of Peace." And it may be best to observe right here, that, 
inasmuch as subsequent sacred writers have nowhere called 
our Saviour " The Everlasting Father," as our translation 
makes Isaiah say he shall be called, we must understand him 
as intending to say that he (Jesus Christ) shall be called the 
Son of " The Everlasting Father." In that way we get the 
prophet's meaning, and reconcile that clause with other parts 
of the verse in which it is found, and with the whole Bible ; 
just as we must construe the last clause of John i. 1, to give 
it any meaning. 

But to return to the prophets. " Behold my servant, whom 
I uphold ; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth. I have 
put my spirit upon him : he shall bring forth judgment to 
the gentiles " (Isa. xlii. 1). This verse is cited in Matt, xii., 



PEACE ON EARTH. 81 



with others following it, as applying to the Saviour : " Thou 
art my Son; this day have I begotten thee" (Ps. ii. 7). See 
also Matt. iii. 17 and xvii. 5, Acts xiii. 33. " I saw in the 
night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man came with 
the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and 
they brought him near before him. And there was given 
him dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all people, 
nations, and languages should serve him ; his dominion is an 
everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his 
kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." (Dan. vii. 
13, 14.) 

On these prophecies but few words in the way of application 
are deemed necessary. From the language of Isaiah ix. 6, 
" unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given," &c, two par- 
ties must be intended. For to constitute a gift there must be 
two parties, — one who gives, and one that receives, and a 
subject of the gift — must there not ? If so, in this case 
should we not understand that God the Father is the party 
intended as the giver, God the Son as the treasure given, and 
our race as the other party, and to which that precious gift 
was made ? Is not this the most literal, reasonable, and 
Scriptural construction of the words used? Or will we believe 
that the prophet intended to teach that the Father who gave, 
and the Son who was given, were but one and the same indi- 
vidual being? How can it be said properly of any one that 
he is his own Son ? 

Our next quotation is from the same good old prophet 
(Isa. xlii. 1). There the Father designates the Son as "my 
servant" "mine elect;" and says of him, "I have put my 
spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment," &c. Would 
any man, woman, or child, who can read and understand the 
most plain and simple writing which can be found in any of 
our common-school primers, fail to perceive that two sepa- 
rate and distinct persons or parties are spoken of there ? 
There is no chance for any unbiased reader to err so egregi- 
ously as to believe that but one person is contemplated in all 
that is said there, and applicable to the speaker and the party 
spoken of. But, on the contrary, all Christians admit that 

6 



82 PEACE ON EARTH. 

God the Father through his prophet is the speaker, and that 
Christ the Son is the party spoken of. Nevertheless, it is 
insisted by some that the Father and the Son are but one and 
the same in person, and by others that they are likewise but 
one and the same eternal spirit. 

Now if the Father and Son are the same in person or in 
spirit, what the Father said of the Son in form applies to 
himself in fact, — does it not ? Then so to construe that 
Scripture involves at once the absurdity of holding that God 
is his own " servant" and the irreverence of saying that it is 
himself " in whom [his] soul delighteth " ! Is not this con- 
clusion on that construction irresistible ? Where is the hum- 
ble, or even the professing, Christian who is willing so to 
trifle with the sacred oracles of Almighty God? 

Again, the Father has said of the Saviour, and repeated it 
too as shown above : " Thou art my Son ; this day have I 
begotten thee." If they are the same, are not all such re- 
marks calculated to deceive more than to instruct ? I think 
so. We are informed by St. Paul that all Scripture is given 
by inspiration of God, and for our " instruction" &c. Satan 
is the deceiver ! 

We will now notice Daniel vii. 13, 14, and then come down 
to the gospel teachings upon this question : " Behold, one like 
the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and he came 
to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before 
him." In their edition of the Bible, the American Tract Soci- 
ety has this note : " 13. Like the Son of man ; this is a vision 
of the Messiah appearing in human form. They brought him ; 
the ministering angels brought him to be invested by the 
Ancient of Days with universal dominion." And in their 
note on verse 9, where Daniel first employs the term " Ancient 
of Days," it is explained as meaning " Jehovah" This author- 
ity, and which is entitled to profound respect, is referred to 
here for no other purpose than to show that the term " Ancient 
of Days," as used there, and as all Christians agree, is but 
another name for God the Father, and to avoid thereby the 
waste of time and space to prove that fact. 

Here we have an instance in which the Father and Son 



PEACE ON EARTH. 83 



were both seen, and together. But it was u in the night 
visions " that the prophet was permitted to see " the Ancient 
of Days ; " for no man is allowed to see the face of Jehovah 
with his natural eyes and live. And we are moreover in- 
formed here that they (the ministering angels) brought him 
(the Son of man) near before him (the Father). For what 
purpose was the Son brought near before the Father ? The 
next verse, as if in anticipation of such question, answers it 
satisfactorily : " And there was given him dominion and 
glory and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages 
should serve him ; his dominion is an everlasting dominion 
which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall 
not be destroyed." No sincere inquirer for truth will need 
any comment on this revelation, so far as relates to the joint 
or separate existence of the Father and Son as taught here. 
For on that point the only question which can be made on 
this vision is one of credibility. Did Daniel really see two 
parties there, as he says he did? Was the one actually 
brought before the other, as stated? And did the Ancient of 
Days, in the presence of his prophet and of " ten thousand 
times ten thousand" ministering angels witnessing the cere- 
mony, absolutely crown the Son of man king, and invest him 
with a kingdom, power, and glory, as Daniel says was done ? 
If Daniel is right, the question is settled, — is it not? (See 
also Rev. iv. 2-9, and v. 1-7, &c.) 

For the purpose of sustaining the views already given of 
the prophecies cited to prove the separate existence of the 
Father and Son, the following quotations from the New Tes- 
tament are« presented. Jesus said to his disciples: "As my 
Father hath sent me, even so send I you" (John xx. 21). 
His Father had sent him abroad on special and important 
business ; even so the Son sent his disciples. Again, Christ 
said to them : " I ascend unto my Father and your Father, 
and to my God and your God" (John xx. 17). He went up 
to heaven. From this all must infer that God the Father 
held the same business relations to the Son that he (the Son) 
did to his disciples, — " My Father and your Father," " My God 
and your God." Jesus calls all godly men " my brethren " 



84 PEACE ON EARTH. 

(Matt. xxy. 40). "He [Christ Jesus] was in the world, and 
the world was made by Mm" &c. (John i. 10, and see v. 14). 
The Father " created all things by Jesus Christ " (Eph. iii. 
9). " Who is the image of the invisible God, the first born 
of every creature " (Col. i. 15). One may have been made 
in the image of his Maker, but why should it be said of one 
who is identical with his Creator that he is " the first bom of 
every creature " f Read in this connection Heb. i. 1-5 inclu- 
sive. The ninth verse of that chapter reads thus : " Thou 
hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity ; therefore God, 
even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness 
above thy fellows ; " and that is a quotation from Ps. xlv. 7. 
Does this look as if Jehovah and Jesus are one and the same 
eternal spirit? "These things saith the Amen, the faithful 
and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God." 
" To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my 
throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my 
Father in his throne" (Rev. iii. 14-21). No explanation is 
necessary here ; the facts revealed are too plain to be misunder- 
stood. St. Paul says of Jesus (Heb. iv. 10) : " For he that 
is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own 
works as God did from his." Was the apostle then writing 
only of one or of two individuals ? The works certainly 
seem to have been different. " Whosoever readeth, let him 
understand." 

The paramount importance of the subject is offered as a 
sufficient apology for pressing still another class of authorities 
upon the reader's attention. And this is done for the purpose 
of explaining more fully the relations existing between the 
Father and Son, and of each to ourselves. The value of cor- 
rect views as to these sacred relations cannot be overesti- 
mated, for they constitute the foundation upon which our 
whole religious edifice must stand or fall ; and if we build 
upon a sandy foundation, when the rain descends and the 
floods come, " and the winds blow and beat upon that house," 
it will fall, u and great [will be] the fall of it." 

" Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant 
whom I have chosen ; that ye may know and believe me, and 



PEACE ON EAKTH. 85 



understand that I am he. Before me there was no God 
formed [or, as the marginal reading, nothing formed of God], 
neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the Lord, 
and besides me there is no Saviour " (Isa. xliii. 10, 11). " I 
will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth ; 
for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I 
have made" (Isa. lvii. 16). " And they fell upon their 
faces, and said, O God ! the God of the spirits of all flesh " 
(Num. xvi. 22). "And Moses spake unto the Lord, say- 
ing, Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a 
man over the congregation " (Nam. xxvii. 15, 16). Should 
we not infer from the above texts that the Creator of spirits 
and the Maker of physical bodies are different ? If we con- 
strue Isaiah xliii. 10, 11 in this way : that the Son (by the 
mouth of the prophet) is the speaker, and the words which 
follow as having been spoken by the Son, but for and as if 
by the Father in person, namely, " Ye are my witnesses, saith 
the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen ; " that the 
Jews were the " ivitnesses" and that the Son is the u servant " 
referred to ; and if we consider all the rest of both verses as 
the language of the Son, and as relating to himself, — such 
inference will be greatly strengthened, will it not? If such 
is not the true construction, what does the Saviour mean by 
these words : " Before me there was no God formed," or 
"nothing formed of God"? The latter is the marginal, and 
most likely the best, rendering of the two. 

The quotation from Isaiah lvii. 16, closing with " the souls 
which I have made," must be understood as the words of the 
Father by his prophet. And in Num. xvi. 22 we have the 
exclamation of the Israelites as a body, beginning, " O God ! 
the God of the spirits of all flesh." And again, " Moses spake 
unto the Lord, saying, Let the Lord, the God of the spirits 
of all flesh" &c. (cited above). From such texts it would seem 
that Moses and the Israelites generally of his time, and Isaiah 
and his contemporaries, all considered God the Father as the 
immediate Creator of the souls, "the spirits of all flesh," or 
rather of the spirits which dwell in flesh (as men) — would 
it not ? And yet, as we have already seen, it is evident that 



86 PEACE OK EARTH. 



this world, the bodies of men, and every thing else here at 
least were made mediately, and by the Son Jesus Christ. 

The following Scriptures, carefully studied, may prove to 
some as " a light that shineth in a dark place." In Heb. xii. 
9, we find this: " We have had fathers of our flesh which cor- 
rected us, and we gave them reverence ; shall we not much 
rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live ? " 
" For there is one God and one Mediator between God and 
men, the man Christ Jesus " (1 Tim. ii. 5) ; and who is 
said to have been " the beginning of the creation of God " 
(Rev. hi. 14), " The first born of every creature " (Col. i. 15), 
44 The image of him that created him " (Col. iii. 10, and Eph. 
iv. 24), " And the world was made by him " (John i. 10, and 
Heb. i. 2). 

The apostle Paul informs us that there is " one Lord, one 
faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all" &c. (Eph. iv. 
5, 6). St. Peter exclaims, " Blessed be the God and Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Pet. i. 3) ; and the great Creator 
of all is mentioned as " the God of our Lord Jesus Christ " 
(Eph. i. 17). And in the third verse of the same chapter 
St. Paul began his expression of gratitude to the " Father of 
spirits" in this way: " Blessed be the God and Father of our 
Lord Jesus Christ." The Saviour said to Mary, " Go to my 
brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and 
your Father, and to my God and your God" (John xx. 17). 
44 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are 
all of one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them 
brethren " (Heb. ii. 11). 

Men having the same father are called brothers, now as 
then ; and as Christ who sanctified, and men who are sancti- 
fied, 44 are all of one "family (as the apostle evidently intended 
to be understood as saying, and as was originally the case, 
beyond all room for doubt or question), he and they are prop- 
erly said to be 44 brethren." But if he who sanctified and 
they who are sanctified are not of the same family, he and 
they are not brethren, are they ? If Christ is the Son of God, 
and he 4 ' by whom also he [God] made the worlds," and if 
we are new creatures, having had no previous existence, but 



PEACE ON EARTH. 87 



are brought into being for the first time, with and as our 
bodies are formed, or when we are born into this life, — in 
what good sense are we and Jesus Christ, who made the world, 
said to be brethren ? And in that case, and if Jesus and Je- 
hovah are one and the same, how can he (Christ) and we 
men be " all of one " ? 

Some good people, as we must believe them to be, hold that 
God the Father and Christ the Son are one and the same 
eternal spirit; while others believe that Jesus Christ was but 
a man. And the latter class of thinkers differ again among 
themselves ; some saying that Jesus was a very good man, 
that he partook largely of the divine nature, &c, and others 
pronounce him a shallow pretender ! In matters about which 
men differ in opinion so widely, it is often the case that the 
truth lies between the extreme views of opposing disputants, 
and that both parties are wrong. And if St. Paul was right 
when he said, " All Scripture is profitable for instruction," 
both of said contending parties — as classed at first, and as 
subdivided too — are in error on this vital point of revealed 
truth. For if the Scriptures above cited — first, to prove the 
distinct personality of Jehovah-God, and, lastly, to identify 
and establish the divinity of our blessed Redeemer — are to be 
relied upon, and in their most plain, natural, and literal mean- 
ing, they put the truth of both propositions beyond the reach 
of doubt. And if the Scriptures, when construed in that way, 
deceive and lead us into error, they are not profitable for in- 
struction, are they ? And moreover, as all will find who try 
them, it is utterly impossible, without violating every rule for 
the construction of language, so far to bend, warp, or wrest all 
the Scriptures which have already been referred to for these 
purposes as to make them consistent with either of their 
theories. 

And that is not all, nor is it the worst feature of their case, 
for their whole system of theology is based upon erroneous 
views of our Maker, of our Redeemer, and of ourselves; and 
it is therefore and necessarily not only based upon error, but 
it is at the same time inconsistent with itself, with natural 
reason, and with revelation. This stubborn fact is now being 



88 PEACE ON EARTH. 



clearly exposed to the gazing and exultant hordes of the 
enemy ; and it is actively and efficiently used to the confusion 
of the friends of Jesus Christ and his Church, and to the de- 
light of Satan and his followers ! 

Oh that good men, learned men, and great men too, and 
of every denomination (as many of our ministers and priests 
really are), could and would lay aside all prejudice against 
one another, and get out from under the crushing weight, 
the incubus, of their severally beloved sectarian dogmas, and 
humble themselves as little children at the feet of Jesus, and 
there seriously and prayerfully review their respective home- 
made creeds — comparing them carefully with the Bible as 
they proceed ! A few short months of such sweet and godlike 
work would suffice to bring all Christians into " one faith," 
and all would then " be of one mind." 

But, oppressed with a sense of the sad truth that all such 
elysian thoughts are too visionary upon which to risk one fond 
hope of realization while in this wicked world, let us meekly 
accept the situation, and hopefully though painfully deal with 
men and things as we find them. 

If all teachers who " live of the gospel " were to agree 
upon the " one faith " that is taught therein (and there is 
but one on any point of faith), how long would it be until all 
Christians would " be of one mind," and " live in peace " as 
one happy family ? If the time required under such circum- 
stances to effect so much would be short — say one year at 
most, — when the Judge returns to reward " every man accord- 
ing as his work shall be" will the glorious plaudit, " Come, ye 
blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you 
from the foundation of the world," greet the ears of those 
who are mainly answerable for all the schisms, divisions, and 
persecutions of the Church ? Take due notice, brethren, and 
govern yourselves accordingly ! 



PEACE ON EARTH. 89 



CHAPTER IX. 

Of the Holy Ghost. — His Office. — Is he a Person, or a Power of God? 

— Doctrine of a Trinity of Persons in one considered. — Its Origin. 

— History of. — Evil effects of. — Inconsistent, Unreasonable, Un- 
scriptural. 

"DELIEVING that the authorities which have been pre- 
-*-^ sented in the preceding pages will prove sufficient to 
satisfy every unprejudiced reader that the great Jehovah-God 
is a spirit, self-existent, eternal, and distinct from all other 
spirits ; and that Jesus Christ is his most dearly beloved Son, 
" the first born of every creature," " the bright and the 
Morning Star," and by whom [God] made the worlds, — 
we will now look into the same old Book, and see what is 
revealed there in relation to the Holy Ghost. 

That the Holy Spirit of God has an important work to do 
in the redemption of man is manifest to all Bible readers. 
After his resurrection from the dead, Jesus came to his 
disciples "and spake unto them, saying, All power is given 
unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach 
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of 
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," &c. (Matt, xxviii. 18, 19). 
There must have been some good reason why that particular 
formula should be observed and used in the administration of 
the holy rite of baptism, or it would not have been required, 
would it? If baptism was designed as the ordinance, the 
ceremony, by which the recipients thereof should be initiated 
into the Church, the kingdom of God on earth, as it is gen- 
erally believed to have been, and evidently was intended to be, 
— why should it not have been administered in the name of 
" Our Father which art in heaven " ? We are taught so to 
address our prayers ; and he is our Creator, and the source of 
all power. Or, as he is our Redeemer, why should not bap- 
tism have been administered in the name of " Our Lord and 



90 PEACE ON EARTH. 



Saviour Jesus Christ " ? Or why not baptize in the name of 
both, the Father and the Son ? — in the name of the Father 
as our Creator and of the Son as our Redeemer ? 

The Father created us pure and holy ; but under the influ- 
ence of Satan we fell into sin, and have been driven away 
from the personal presence of the Father, the Son, and the 
entire family of the holy gods (or angels, as we are wont to 
call them), and are doomed to eternal banishment unless we 
repent and seek salvation in this life. Then what more do 
we want than a Redeemer ? Whether we want it or not, we 
need something more than that. Of what value would a 
Redeemer be to us if we could not find him ? It is true that 
the Saviour calls continually, " Come unto me,'* &c. But the 
condition of a lost sinner here, and in that respect, is about 
as would be that of a blind mute if lost in a deep wilderness, of 
a dark and stormy night. He could not see nor hear a friend, 
nor know that one is calling him. And such a one would 
therefore need the help of one who would take him by the 
hand and lead him back to his home, his family, and his friends, 
would he not ? 

Just so it is with the wandering children of God. They 
need a friend, a teacher, one who can and will instruct them 
of the dangers which ^surround them; and who "will bring 
the blind by a way that they know not, and will lead them in 
paths that they have not known, and will make darkness light 
before them ; " and who will lead them back and up to the 
mercy-seat, where they can find the Saviour. That is the 
office of the Holy Ghost. (See Isa. xlii. 16.) 

And it is therefore eminently appropriate that the peni- 
tent believer in Jesus Christ should be baptized in the name 
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. For we 
thereby take upon ourselves the most sacred of all obligations 
that we will adore the Father as our Creator, revere the Son 
as our Redeemer and friend, and venerate and obey the Holy 
Spirit as the Voice of God and our Teacher and Guide in the 
way to eternal life. " To-day, if ye will hear his voice, 
harden not your heart " (Ps. xcv. 7, Heb. iii. 7). " The 
Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father 



PEACE ON EARTH. 91 

will send in my name, he shall teach you," &c. (John xiv. 
26). 

Here the question comes squarely before us, Is the Holy 
Ghost a separate and distinct person, or is that merely a name 
given to the voice of God, certain manifestations of power 
exercised by him for his glory and our good ? This question 
has vexed the Christian world sorely for many dark ages. 
But we have no evidence of any difference of opinion on that 
subject during the days of the apostles, nor before their time. 
And certain it is that the Old Testament Scriptures cannot 
be misunderstood, in that respect, by any competent and 
devout reader. 

The authorities and suggestions already adduced and offered 
to prove that God the Father and Christ the Son are person- 
ally as distinct from one another as were Abraham and Isaac 
his son, should obviate the necessity of further evidence or 
argument here as to the personality of the Holy Ghost. For 
to hold that the Father and the Son are different persons, and 
that the Holy Spirit is another person, distinct from the Fa- 
ther and from the Son, yet of equal power with the other two, 
would be equivalent to affirming that the Father, Son, and 
Holy Ghost are all three separate persons, all distinct from 
each of the others, — three Gods ! And while such proposition 
would be equally un scriptural, it evidently would not be half 
so unreasonable as is the popular (orthodox ?) belief, namely : 
u There be three persons in the Godhead, — the Father, the 
Son, and the Holy Ghost ; and these three are one true eter- 
nal God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory, 
although distinguished by their personal properties." 

I am aware that the advocates of the doctrine of " the Holy 
Trinity" as they call it, complain of those who insist that such 
thing is impossible ; and therefore I will not do that, but pro- 
ceed to show, (1) That it is inconsistent with itself ; (2) That 
it is unreasonable ; and (3) That it is un scriptural. And I 
honestly think that proof conclusive of these three propo- 
sitions ought to be sufficient to wean off the most confirmed 
bigot or dupe, as the case may be, from any form of belief 
that is not older, nor better sustained by reason or author- 



92 PEACE ON EARTH. 

ity, than is this ingeniously mysterious invention of priest- 
craft. 

And as the evidence to prove the last of the above proposi- 
tions is so clear and conclusive that no candid and unbiased 
reader can fail so to consider it, I will be brief on the first two. 
A few preliminary remarks are deemed necessary however. 
As to the age of this delusive enigma, I will only add here, to 
what has already been said on that subject, that no trace of 
such thought can anywhere be found previous to the death 
of the last one of the apostles. 

The term " trinity " is not a Scriptural form of expression, 
and that word cannot be found in the Bible. But the name 
of that doctrine and the theory itself were both introduced 
about the time when a few priests determined to do all the 
thinking for their flocks, and commenced the business of man- 
ufacturing so-called religious creeds of faith for the people to 
believe. The greatest difficulty in their way was to induce 
Christians generally to approve and adopt their views, and to 
waive their natural right to think for themselves in such mat- 
ters. Every available plan was resorted to for that purpose ; 
and that which was perhaps the most successful one was to 
impress the Christian mind with the idea that the Bible is a 
mysterious book, exceedingly difficult to understand ; that to 
err in faith is dangerous or damning ; and therefore it is more 
safe for the membership to accept the deductions of the min- 
istry from the Bible as to all important doctrines, rites, and 
ceremonies as indubitably true and correct, and to act upon 
them in all their meditations and devotions. 

It was claimed, also, that the Church when assembled in 
ecumenical council could not err ; that the Holy Spirit would 
direct her in all truth, &c. No argument, however, could be 
produced that could satisfy some liberty loving Christians 
that so much should be conceded to the clergy ; and therefore 
the latter soon began to enforce the most strict conformity, 
not only on the part of the laity, but by recusant priests and 
other officials of the Church also. That was done at first by 
decrees, edicts, bulls, &c. But that sort of coercion having 
failed of success in many cases, the most cruel tortures were 



PEACE ON EARTH. 93 



invoked ; and at length the penalty of death was prescribed 
and freely inflicted, and in some cases in the most horrible and 
brutal manner that the Devil could invent, for that unnatural 
and ungodly purpose. 

These persecutions commenced soon after Constantine the 
Great relieved Christians from their heathen persecutors, and 
about the year A.D. 313. And it was but a short time there- 
after until Christians were persecuting one another, for opin- 
ion's sake, far more extensively and cruelly than the heathen 
had ever done. 

To enable the clergy to get and hold the perfect mastery of 
the lay members of the Church, and as far as possible to ease 
the restive consciences of the unruly, they so shaped their 
articles of faith as to render them perfectly unintelligible on 
some of the most vital points. They likewise brought to their 
aid the traditions of the Church, as they called them, and 
introduced such pompous, mysterious, and solemnly impres- 
sive forms and ceremonies for public worship as would com- 
pletely overawe the superstitious and timid ; and by such 
means they finally brought them down to the most servile 
submission to every behest of their masters. 

And it is to these changes, so effected, and the transitions 
from the simple faith, rites, and forms for worship which are 
so plainly taught in the Gospel, that the world is indebted (if 
a debt it be) for the wonderful doctrines of the " Holy Trin- 
ity," " Transubstantiation," and others of the same sort, as 
well as for the magnificence, mystery, pomp, and splendor 
now displayed by the mother Church in her public worship. 

The Church of Christ should feel abundantly grateful to 
the Almighty, it is true, for the inestimable reforms which 
have already been effected by Luther and his associates and 
successors, and by others since his time. Yet it must be con- 
fessed that the good work which was then commenced has not 
yet been finished, but that much still remains to be done. 
And neither Christian ministers nor competent laymen should 
ever feel satisfied, nor cease their labors in that direction, until 
the doctrines, ordinances, and worship of the Church shall have 
been fully restored to their primitive simplicity and purity. 



94 PEACE ON EAKTH. 



Feeling well satisfied that the preceding remarks are not 
too strong, but that they are true, and that it is necessary to 
say that much, if no more, of the evil consequences of what is 
commonly and properly called priestcraft, as it existed previ- 
ous to the Reformation and to a great extent still exists, — the 
writer considers it equally due to the cause of truth that Ave 
confess the other painful fact, that Protestants generally have 
left behind them some well founded and highly beneficial 
observances of the mother Church. Nor is it pretended that 
officials of the Catholic Church who participated in so dis- 
torting plain and natural truths as revealed from heaven, nor 
that even those who went so far as to approve the bitter per- 
secutions that ensued, were all bad men. The human mind is 
" wonderfully and fearfully " constituted. There is no safety 
in saying what an enthusiast cannot believe. The truth is 
that, in matters of religion, all men believe just what they 
want to believe. And strange as it may appear at this time, 
the writer, if no other, firmly believes that many of those who 
are now so bitterly denounced as hypocrites or fiends, or as 
both together, sincerely believed that they were rendering the 
cause of " the meek and lowly Jesus " a good and acceptable 
service in persecuting, even to the tortures of the Inquisition 
and to death, those whom they most erroneously considered 
heretics. 

That was the great error of that dark age. And it was not 
confined to the Catholic Church ; but Protestants did the 
same thing then, and in fact since the Reformation of Luther 
was fairly under way, where they had the power. In the 
year 1648 the British Parliament, under Protestant influence, 
published an ordinance against heresy, and in which the pen- 
alty of death was provided for and against persons guilty of 
either one of the several heresies specified therein ; one of 
which was for " denying the Trinity in any form." 

The article on the subject of the " Trinity," which is now 
under review, was copied here from the confession of faith of 
the same family of Protestants which then ruled the govern- 
ment of England. If, therefore, an Englishman had ex- 
pressed the opinion " in any form " in that comparatively 



PEACE ON EARTH. 95 

modern age of the Church, which the writer is now trying 
in all seriousness and honesty of purpose to impress upon 
the Christian mind, he would have incurred the penalty of 
death under the law of that great and professedly free and 
enlightened country ! 

These facts are not brought to the reader's attention for the 
purpose of stirring up anew old prejudices between Catholics 
and Protestants ; nor is it done to offend either party, nor in 
any way to hinder the prosperity or influence of either for 
good. But they are recalled to mind by a friend of the glori- 
ous cause of Jesus Christ, and one who loves all his friends, 
and therefore desires to promote peace, harmony, and concert 
of action as far as possible among all Christians and of every 
name. And it is done with a fervent desire thereby to bene- 
fit all parties, and to promote our common interests as one 
entire family. In fact, the only reason why these unpleasant 
remembrances are brought up here at all, is to show to all 
how and by what means this now comparatively old, unnat- 
ural, and unreasonable dogma of the Church was originally 
introduced, and has been preserved in its present form so 
long. For it is a fact which all should know, that, on this as 
well as on some other important religious subjects, the Chris- 
tian mind has been held in a state of vassalage for hundreds 
of years, and has not been free to act, investigate, and " go on 
to perfection " in theology as in other natural sciences. 

While the human mind has been left free to investigate 
every other subject, and the learned have been not only per- 
mitted but earnestly encouraged to publish the results of all 
their researches for the benefit of their fellow-men, theology 
alone has been kept at a dead standstill. That was done, as 
we have seen, by the enactment of the most stringent laws 
against, and inflicting savage penalties upon, nonconformists, 
and all who should dare to offer one thought (drawn from the 
Bible) in advance of the darkness which enveloped the fourth 
century. 

And since the civil authorities have interfered, and pre- 
vented Christians (!) from destroying each other (as no other 
animals in the world have ever been known to hunt down and 



96 PEACE ON EARTH. 



wantonly kill others of their own species), other penalties 
have been devised by ecclesiastics which are but little less 
efficient in preventing any and all advancement in Biblical 
science. 

Suppose the Pope of Rome himself, or a cardinal, bishop, 
or priest of his Church, should to-day " deny the Trinity in 
any form," how long would he or any one of them hold his 
place in the Church ? What minister of any leading Protes- 
tant and trinitarian sect (but one) would dare venture a 
doubt as to the correctness of their doctrine of the " Holy 
Trinity " as they term it ? Should any one act so rashly, he 
would soon have occasion to repent his folly, although he may 
never have repented of his sins — would he not ? And what 
would become of the mere lay member of the Catholic Church, 
or of any one of the creed-observing Protestant Churches, in 
such case, which would so deal with their highest dignitaries ? 

I knew a man who read the Bible for himself, and formed 
his faith upon that olden Book while yet a member of a 
church that had a human creed (the best one of the kind), 
and who dared to speak and write about the sacred truths he 
found revealed from heaven, and to contrast them freely with 
the mystic relics sure of the worst work of once unsaintly 
popery. In that, of course, he showed more zeal than prudent 
care for self or ease, or slavish fear of priestly power. He had 
luck, — of course he had. But of what sort it was but few 
would ask, and to what length it went some may not care to 
know, and hence I will not stop to tell. His luck, however, 
of whatsoever kind it may have been at first, has much im- 
proved since then, and, as he humbly trusts, will be far better 
still during the vast and safe hereafter. (Matt. v. 11, 12.) 

Seeing, then, that the doctrine of the Trinity in the 
present form has been held too sacred to admit of examina- 
tion for the past fifteen hundred years, we should therefore 
consider it an open question, and one which demands the care- 
ful consideration of all who venture to teach the Christian 
religion, and of all who love the truth ; for it is a well-known 
fact that hundreds and thousands of intelligent and well- 
informed people during all these centuries have been driven 



PEACE ON EARTH. 97 



to doubt and disbelief of our holy religion, because they did 
not believe this mysterious and unreasonable tenet of the 
Church. And yet both priests and ministers have told and 
still tell them that they must so believe or be eternally lost ! 
The Devil in dealing with skeptics uses this article of Chris- 
tian faith as an all-sufficient argument by which to hold 
many of them aloof from the Church of God and from faith 
in Christ, and so to retain them in his confidence. 

Let us, therefore, in the fear of the Lord and love of truth, 
proceed to examine this delicate subject fairly, freely, yet 
reverently and prayerfully, in the light of reason and of 
revelation ; and just as we should examine every other point 
of religious faith which is a subject of doubt or disputation. 

Remember that three objections are made to the doctrine 
of a trinity of persons in one u Godhead" as held in common 
by the mother Church and by most Protestants : (1) That it 
is inconsistent with itself ; (2) That it is unreasonable ; and 
(3) That it is unscriptural. 

The force of the first two objections will be more readily 
seen by copying questions 8, 9, and 10, with the answers to 
each as found in the catechism from which the article was 
taken, and which are as follows : " Q. 8. Are there more Gods 
than one ? — A. There is but one only, the living and true 
God. Q. 9. How many persons are there in the Godhead? — 
A. There be three persons in the Godhead, — the Father, 
the Son, and the Holy Ghost ; and these three are one true, 
eternal God, the same in substance, equal in power and 
glory, although distinguished by their personal properties. 
Q. 10. What are the personal properties of the three persons 
in the Godhead f — A. It is proper to the Father to beget the 
Son, and to the Son to be begotten of the Father, and to the 
Holy Ghost to proceed from the Father and the Son from all 
eternity." 

The proposition respecting the Trinity is a compound one, 
and consists of five distinct parts or affirmations, taking no 
notice at present of the term " Godhead" as used there. 
The first of which is that " There be three persons in the 
Godhead, — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost;" the 

7 



98 PEACE ON EARTH. 

second is that " These three are one," &c. ; the third is that 
all three of these persons are " the same in substance ; " the 
fourth is that they are all three " equal in power and glory; " 
and the fifth is that they are all three " distinguished by their 
personal properties." 

Are all of these affirmations respecting the Deity consistent 
with each other? I hold that they are not. According 
to Webster, a proposition is inconsistent with itself which 
contains " such opposition or disagreement as that one propo- 
sition (or affirmation) infers the negative of the other, such 
contrariety between things that both cannot subsist together," 
or " so that the truth of one proves the other to be false." 

Now does not the proposition that there are " three persons 
in the Godhead " infer the negative of the other that " these 
three are one" ? How can three persons be but one person? . 
In any natural or literal sense such thing is impossible, — is 
it not? We may conceive of three or more principles or 
powers in Nature which may so harmonize as to co-operate as 
one principle or one power ; but we cannot properly predi- 
cate the same oneness of three individual persons, — can 
we ? 

Jesus Christ frequently speaks of himself and the Father 
as being one in purpose, but he nowhere says that they are 
one in person. But where does the Saviour say that the 
Father himself and the Holy Ghost are one in any sense ; 
or where does he say that the Holy Ghost is one with the 
Father or with himself? He nowhere says any thing like 
that, but much to the contrary. 

And again, does not the predicate that the one is the 
Father of the other logically imply that the latter is the Son 
of the former ? It most assuredly does so imply : then is not 
that inconsistent with the proposition that they two are one 
in person? Who will say that it is not? And it is also 
affirmed that the three persons in the Godhead are one ; and 
again that they are all three " distinguished by their personal 
properties." Have we not here an irreconcilable inconsis- 
tency? If they have personal properties so different from 
one another that each may be distinguished from the other 



PEACE ON EARTH. 99 



two by such personal dissimilarities, they are not one in per- 
son, are they ? 

We now come to our second objection to the " form of doc- 
trine " that is usually employed to express the relations sup- 
posed to exist between the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ; and 
which is that it is utterly unreasonable. And the first logical 
fact to which attention is called here is, that every incon- 
sistency which the main proposition contains as between its 
several parts affords conclusive evidence that the whole is 
unreasonable. For no inconsistent proposition is a reason- 
able one, — is it ? And, therefore, all that has been said 
under the first head applies with equal force here. 

The best thing that its warmest friend can truly say of the 
present popular theory of the Trinity (that three persons in 
this instance constitute but one person) is that it is a paradox ; 
for it certainly appears to be unreasonable as a first impres- 
sion, — does it not ? And therefore it devolves on the advo- 
cates of that form of belief to prove that it is nevertheless 
reasonable and true. This they adroitly try to avoid, simply 
by saying that it is all right, but that it is mysterious and 
we cannot understand it. That is sufficiently satisfactory to 
the most indifferent and credulous ; but there are some people 
who want better evidence of the safety of an old boat, and 
which looks so rickety, before risking their eternal all upon 
it. And yet we are told that we must believe all that, or we 
cannot be saved. How many are driven into hopeless infidel- 
ity because they cannot believe that which their own good 
sense condemns as false ! 

But to return. It is sufficient for the present purpose to 
show this view of a Trinity to be apparently untrue ; because. 
no proposition that appears on its face to be false can be 
accepted per se as true, — can it ? And, therefore, whatever 
appears to be false must stand condemned as unreasonable 
until proof of its verity is adduced. Is not this good logic ? 

If the Father and Son are the same person, that person 
must be at once his own Father and his own Son ! — must he 
not ? Certainly it must be so. And if one is the Father of 
the other, of course the latter must be the Son of the former ; 



100 PEACE ON EARTH. 

and then they must be different persons. Is not this con- 
clusive ? 

But to be good Trinitarians, we must furthermore believe 
that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, all three, sprang into 
being simultaneously, each of his own energy and will ; and 
that all three are precisely " equal in power and glory.'' If 
true, that was a wonderful event, was it not ? Three Gods 
all bounding into life at once, and each of his own accord and 
unaided energy ; and, which is more amazing still, all just 
happened to be exactly " equal in power and glory " ! It cer- 
tainly cannot be necessary to make any labored argument to 
show that such a proposition is utterly unreasonable and un- 
true. It is thought at least safe to say that such thing never 
occurred before, and will not happen again. May not any 
one venture to affirm that much of the past, and to prophesy 
to that extent for the future ? 

The whole of those three questions and answers were copied 
above chiefly for the purpose of enabling the reader, by com- 
paring the eighth and ninth answers together, to see their 
inconsistency at a glance. The eighth is well sustained by 
the Bible, but the ninth must rest on no better foundation 
(originally) than priestly fancy, and in a darker age than 
this; although it now has the all powerful support of the 
bigotry and dogmatism of both priests and preachers, with 
but relatively few exceptions, and is backed alike by the 
superstitious fears of themselves and of their flocks. 

The answer to the tenth question has one redeeming virtue ; 
it is unquestionably true in point of fact (saying nothing 
about the propriety of so using the word "proper "). But 
the latter clause, by which we are informed that it is "proper " 
"to the Holy Ghost to proceed from the Father and the Son 
from all eternity," is decidedly damaging to the preceding 
answer; for if the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and 
the Son, he cannot be one and the same with them, — can 
he ? Is it not unreasonable to believe that one person pro- 
ceeds at the same time from two other persons, and that con- 
tinually ? And is not the belief that the Holy Spirit proceeds 
from the Father and the Son inconsistent with the idea that 



PEACE ON EARTH. 101 

he has a real, distinct, personal existence ? And is it not in- 
dicative of the fact that he " is the power of God and the 
wisdom of God " ? And in fine, if the Holy Ghost (the Com- 
forter) is one with and equal in power and glory to the 
Father and the Son, how is it that he is subject to the control 
of each of them, and in fact is sent on errands of mercy by 
either of them at will ? (See John xiv. 26 and xvi. 7.) 



102 PEACE ON EAETH. 



CHAPTER X. 

The same Subject continued. — Doctrine of Three Persons in One 
unscriptural. — Trinity, Triune, &c. , not Bible language. — The word 
" Godhead " noticed. — 1 John v. 7, 8 examined. — Many other Texts 
cited. — The Holy Ghost a Power exercised both by the Father and the 
Son. — The Holy Ghost has no Name ; has never been seen, &c. 

« 

/^\UR third and last objection to the popular theory among 
^^ Christians, that there are three persons in the Godhead, 
is that it is unscriptural. And having already noticed the 
individuality and personality of the Father and of the Son, 
it is now only necessary to " search the Scriptures," and learn 
there the relations which exist between them and the Holy 
Ghost, and the nature and office of the latter. 

The question between the writer and Trinitarians (I repeat) 
is not " whether there be any Holy Ghost," but it is whether 
the Holy Ghost is a person emanating from God, or whether 
he is the power of God. And notwithstanding the way which 
leads to the divine truth for which we are about to go in 
search is a plainly marked one, yet there has been a good 
deal of rubbish thrown in it, which with your indulgence, 
my friend, I will go before and remove, so that you may have 
a pleasant walk from the slough of Error to the rock of 
Truth. 

The terms trinity, triune, trinitarian, &c, and the word 
" Godhead," demand our first attention in this connection. 
Of the first three, and of all others like them, no other men- 
tion need be made than to remind the intelligent reader that 
no such terms or words as trinity, triune, or trinitarian are 
anywhere to be found in the Bible. All such terms and 
words have been invented since the apostolic age. And such 
enlargement of the vocabulary became necessary, because the 
new idea (of a trinity of persons in the Godhead) could not 
conveniently and fittingly have been clothed and presented to 



PEACE ON EARTH. 103 

the admiring gaze of the credulous multitude with any words 
or forms of language known to the sacred writers. 

The word " Godhead " appears to have been used by but 
one of the inspired penmen, and but three times by him. 
And I here give the three verses in which it is found, with 
the notes on each which were made by the authority of the 
American Tract Society. In Acts xvii. 29, we read : " For as 
much then as we are the offspring of God we ought not to 
think that the Godhead is like unto gold or silver or stone 
graven by art and man's device." Note, — " 29. We ought not 
to think ; that Jehovah is like material objects of any kind." 
The same apostle next used that word in this way : " For the 
invisible things of him from the creation of the world are 
clearly seen, being understood by things that are made, even 
his eternal power and Godhead ; so that they are without 
excuse," &c. (Rom. i. 20). Note, — " 20. From the creation ; 
ever since the creation. His eternal power and Grodhead ; his 
divinity, and worthiness of being loved, adored, and obeyed. 
Without excuse ; having no reason for disobeying him." And 
the third and last time we find it is in Col. ii. 9 ; there, in 
speaking of Jesus Christ and of his claims upon our confidence, 
St. Paul says : " For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the 
Godhead bodily." Note, — " 9. Grodhead bodily ; God incar- 
nate, or dwelling in human nature." 

Notwithstanding the frequent use made of that term by 
Trinitarians, as containing something favoring their notion, 
it is believed that no learned advocate of that theory would 
be willing to affirm that the word " Godhead," as found in 
either of these texts, contains any evidence that the Father, 
the Son, and the Holy Ghost, being three persons as they 
agree, are " the same in substance, equal in power and glory ; 
although distinguished by their personal properties." There 
certainly is nothing of the kind intimated in the above notes, 
as given by the high Protestant authority which made and 
approved them. And it is a note-worthy fact, that in the 
Douay (Catholic) edition of the Bible the word which reads 
G-odhead in our Bible is rendered " divinity " in each of the 
two verses first copied above ; and that although it is trans- 



104 PEACE ON EARTH. 



lated u Godhead " in Col. ii. 9, in the next verse the word 
complete, as in King James's edition, is rendered filled, so as to 
make the meaning of the whole passage clear, and showing 
also that, as the mother Church understands it, no reference 
to the doctrine of the Trinity is found there. 

Dr. Malcom, in his Bible Dictionary, defines that term thus : 
" Godhead means the nature or essence of God," and cites 
the three texts already noticed as containing it. And Web- 
ster defines it in this way: " Godhead. 1. Godship ; deity; 
divinity ; divine nature or essence ; applied to the true Grod, 
and to heathen deities. 2. A deity in person ; a god or 
goddess." And, as it must be observed, no argument in fa- 
vor of the Orthodox (?) doctrine of a trinity of persons in the 
Godhead can legitimately be drawn from the simple fact that 
St. Paul used that word as he did, and which has been so 
translated. 

But should any one feel inclined to think differently, such 
an one is advised to read all his epistles carefully, and see 
whether he anywhere else said any thing from which we should 
infer that he entertained such opinion ; and to note particu- 
larly these words of his : " There is one body and one spirit, 
even as ye are called in one hope of your calling ; one Lord, 
one faith, one baptism ; one God and Father of all, who is 
ABOVE all, and through all, and in you all" (Ep. iv. 4, 5, 6). 
Did he believe that the " God and Father of all, who is above 
all " (as he says), and who (by his spirit) is " through all 
and in you all," has any equal ? And did he intend to inform 
his readers that the spirit and Lord (the Son), and the God 
and Father, mentioned there, are all but one and the same? 
If they are all three the same, how could one of the three be 
above the other two? So to wrest that Scripture would make 
the apostle directly to contradict himself ! — would it not ? 

The authority on which Trinitarians usually and mainly 
rely, however, to sustain that theory is found in 1 John v. 7, 8. 
And it may safely be said that there is no other passage in 
the whole Bible, which as fairly construed affords them a 
shadow of evidence in support of what they call the doctrine 
of " the Holy (or Adorable) Trinity." It is the one to which 



PEACE ON EARTH. 105 

they uniformly refer for support ; and then they usually cite 
some other texts, all of which when examined, as it is 
found, either do not touch the question at all, or are on the 
other side. 

Here is that authority : " For there are three that bear 
record [in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost ; 
and these three are one. And there are three that hear ivitness 
in earth], the spirit and the water and the blood ; and these 
three agree in one." On this passage it may be best to re- 
mark, that we have the authority of the learned Dr. Tischen- 
dorf that the words which are included here in brackets, and 
printed in Italic letters, are not in either of the three old 
manuscript copies of the Bible, upon one or the other of 
which all Christians rely for a correct version of that good 
Book. See Teschendorf's New Testament at that place. 

And it is furthermore said of the same words that there is now 
an old manuscript copy of the Bible, in a library at London, in 
which they are found as a marginal note. If that is their first 
appearance in writing, we should esteem them as of no more 
value than the mere opinion of the copyist. Be that as it may, 
if Dr. Tischendorf is right (and I have never seen or heard 
the correctness of his notes disputed), the words in question 
are but an interpolation into that passage of sacred Scripture, 
and in that case should not be allowed to render that mysteri- 
ous which without them is plain. And as an evidence that 
he is right, attention is called to the circumstance that in 
their translation of the Bible, with notes, the American Bible 
Union omit precisely the same words, and make this explana- 
tory note : " The words omitted are wanting in all ancient 
copies." 

And yet when the only safe rule of construction is applied 
to the whole passage quoted, the result is found the same as 
if we reject the part italicized altogether : for pursuant to 
that rule, it must be construed so as to make it consist with 
the other Scriptures which relate to the same subject. And 
to do that we only have to interpret it as intending no more 
than that "these three are one," in love, purpose, and labor, 
" to seek and to save that which was lost " — our race. And 



106 PEACE ON EARTH. 



that construction renders it consistent with all other passages 
and texts of Scripture, except that it represents the Holy- 
Ghost as one with the Father and Son, and which we find 
done nowhere else in the Bible. 

Let us now look into the authorities, and see whether the 
Scriptures teach that by the term Holy Ghost a person, or 
the teaching, warning, sustaining power, " the voice of the 
Lord," is intended. The Saviour says : " The sheep hear his 
voice ; and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth 
them out," " and the sheep follow him, for they know his 
voice" (John x. 3, 4). Is not the voice here intended the 
same that is referred to in Deut. iv. 30, 31 ? There the prom- 
ise is, " When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are 
come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the 
Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice (for the 
Lord thy God is a merciful God), he will not forsake thee, 
neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers," 
&c. And is not that the same voice which is mentioned in 
Ps. xcv. 7, 8 ? The Psalmist there says : " For he is our God, 
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his 
hand. To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your 
hearts," &c. Is not the Holy Ghost the power, " the voice," 
by which God calls us to himself ? In calling the attention 
of his Hebrew brethren to that sacred admonition, St. Paul 
said : " Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saith, To-day, if ye will 
hear his voice, harden not your hearts," &c. (Heb. iii. 7). 
Observe, he does not say that King David saith, but he says, 
"the Holy Ghost saith." Did not the apostle understand 
that the Holy Ghost is the teaching power, u the voice," 
which inspired that Psalm ? He certainly so believed ; for 
he could not otherwise have represented it as the language of 
the Holy Ghost. 

And again, we find mention of the Spirit of God made in 
the following texts and in other forms. God said to Moses : 
" I will come down and talk with thee there, and I will take 
of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them " 
(the seventy elders), &c. (Num. xi. 17). "And the Lord 
came down in a cloud and spake unto him, and took of the 



PEACE OX EARTH. 107 



spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy elders," 
and " they prophesied," &c. (Num. xi. 25). And in Neh. ix. 
30 we have this : " Yet many years didst thou forbear them 
(the wicked Jews), and testified against them by thy spirit in 
thy prophets." In these two places we have the idea of the 
same spiritual gift expressed in three different ways : first, I 
will " put it [the spirit] upon them ; " second, he " gave it 
unto " [the seventy] ; and lastly it is spoken of as " thy spirit 
in thy prophets," or as abiding in them. Now is not the 
same thing intended in each of the above instances, which is 
elsewhere expressed by the term " gift of the Holy Ghost " ? 

We find the Holy Spirit mentioned in Gen. i. 2, in this 
way : " And the earth was without form and void ; and dark- 
ness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God 
moved upon [brooded or hovered over] the face of the waters." 
Here it is evident that something other than God himself was 
intended, as that which " moved upon the face of the waters." 
It is commonly understood that it was the Holy Ghost — 
the third person in the Trinity — who so moved over the 
waters preparatory for the work contemplated. This opinion 
is just half right. It unquestionably was the Holy Ghost — 
the almighty power and wisdom of God — which passed over 
the chaotic mass of matter, of which this world was about to 
be made, and prepared it for this use. But it is no less cer- 
tain that it was not any one person who went over all the im- 
mense body of matter and so prepared it. (See Luke i. 35.) 

We must come to this conclusion for two reasons : first, 
because it would have required more thousands of years for 
any one person to have gone over and prepared the materials 
than it did take days to make all the preliminary arrange- 
ments and complete the whole work as it was done ; whereas 
the Almighty Creator (and who has promised to " create new 
heavens and a new earth ") could readily have applied his 
creative power all over and all through the vast mass as it 
then was, and in that way have prepared it instantly for this 
or for any other use he might have designed to make of it. 

The Christian mind in our time seems to be impressed with 
a vague notion, if it amounts to no more, that the Holy Spirit 



108 PEACE ON EARTH. 

has only been engaged in his work for the redemption of man 
since the ascension of the Saviour. And it is firmly believed 
by many that he now confines his labor of love to those only 
who have the gospel preached among them. Passing by, for 
the present, the question whether the Holy Spirit visits those 
to whom the gospel has not been preached, let us see whether 
he has not been engaged in his heavenly work to save our lost 
race ever since man has been on the earth. And it may be 
well to remark here, and by way of parenthesis, that the pro- 
noun he is applied to the Holy Spirit for the same reason that 
it is applied to the sun. 

We have already seen that St. Paul understood that King 
David wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Now 
we will look into a few other kindred Scriptures. In Gen. 
vi. 3, God says: "My spirit shall not always strive with man." 
Must we not believe from this that his spirit did strive with 
man then ? Did not Moses and David and Isaiah believe that 
the Spirit of God did strive with the people of their respec- 
tive ages ? Among the last words uttered by the Psalmist on 
earth were these : " The spirit of God spake by me, and his 
word was in my tongue " (2 Sam. xxiii. 2). Was it a person, 
or the power and wisdom of God, that he said " was in my 
tongue " ? 

Remember, our question relates to the personality and not 
to the existence of the Holy Ghost. In Isaiah lix. 21 we have 
this : " As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the 
Lord: My spirit that is upon thee (Isaiah), and my words 
which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy 
mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth 
of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for 
ever more." From the language employed here it would 
seem that the blessing promised — the gift of the Holy Spirit 
— was a present one, and which was to be enjoyed by all the 
family of Jacob, from Isaiah down, who " turn from trans- 
gression," as expressed in the preceding verse ; and which 
divine promise of the Holy Spirit to abide in them, as else- 
where it is said, appears to have been assured to all such per- 
sons from then to the end of his work. Nearly the same 



PEACE ON EARTH. 109 



promise was made, perhaps equally extensive, in Isaiah xliv. 3 : 
" I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon 
thine offspring." The prophecies abound with references to 
and promises of the Holy Spirit (but to cite all of them could 
benefit no one, for those already quoted are as full, clear, and 
comprehensible as could be desired by any one who believes 
them), sufficient to show that the Holy Spirit of God has been 
in the world, and engaged in teaching men the way to life 
eternal, from the earliest ages to the present time. And it 
may be safely said that nobody who has not been taught to 
believe that the Holy Ghost is a person — an individual spirit 
— would come to any other conclusion, from reading all the 
Old Testament writings, than that he is the power of God, 
the wisdom, " the voice of God," by which he teaches men of 
spiritual things. 

Having already noticed the leading texts of New Testa- 
ment Scripture, which are relied upon as furnishing evidence 
that the Divine Spirit is a person, the third in that trin- 
ity of persons of which those called Trinitarians hold that the 
Godhead, as they interpret that term, consists, — attention is 
now invited to another class of Scriptures, and to other Script- 
ural terms and forms of expression found therein, which 
bear on the other side of this question. The angel that vis- 
ited the virgin Mary said to her, " The Holy Ghost shall 
come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall over- 
shadow thee ; therefore also that holy thing which shall be 
born of thee shall be called the Son of God." Was it the 
third person in the Trinity, or any other person, that came 
upon and overshadowed the virgin on that occasion ? or was 
it not the "power of the Highest?" See Luke i. 35, and 
answer these questions with due respect for the virgin mother, 
and proper reverence for the Son of God, my Christian reader, 
and you cannot err in your answers thereto. 

The Saviour warned his disciples that, for his sake, they 
would be *' brought before governors and kings," and for their 
encouragement said to them: "But when they deliver you 
up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak : for it shall 
be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it 



110 PEACE ON EARTH. 



is not ye that speak, but the spirit of your Father which 
speaketh in you" (Matt. x. 19, 20). And by turning to 
Luke xxi. 14, 15, you will find the same counsel and encour- 
agement given them in this form : " Settle it therefore in your 
hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer. For I 
will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries 
shall not be able to gainsay nor resist." Observe here, their 
speaker was to be one that was in themselves. And St. John 
says (1 John ii. 14) to those " who have overcome the wicked 
one," that "the word of God abideth in you; " and St. Paul 
speaks of " his spirit that dwelleth in you " (Rom. viii. 11). 
Now is it not evidently true that " the spirit of your Father 
which speaketh in you," as in Matthew, and the " mouth and 
wisdom," as in Luke, both refer to the same helper ? And is 
not the " word of God [that] abideth in you," from 1 John, 
and " his spirit that dwelleth in you," from Romans, the same 
indwelling spirit and power which is intended in each of the 
four passages ? And is not the Holy Ghost that teacher and 
power? It is confidently believed that no earnest seeker 
for truth will answer either one of the last questions above 
negatively. 

Assuming that much, the inquiry arises, Do the expressions 
in you, mouth and wisdom, abideth in you, and dwelleth in you } 
indicate that the Holy Ghost, to which they are applied, is a 
person — an individual spirit ? I think not. To deal frankly 
with such question, what could be more absurd than to affirm 
that any being having the qualities of individuality and per- 
sonality can be in two different places at the same time ? 
Any such proposition must savor of the absurd somewhat, as 
we must confess. But what should be said of the Trinitarian 
theory, — that the Holy Spirit is the third person in a trinity 
of persons (three in one), and that he is not only in two 
places at one time, but that he is in the heart of every Chris- 
tian all the time! Those who talk that way freely admit 
that they cannot understand it, but insist that it is neverthe- 
less true ; and, worse than all, they teach the confiding, giddy 
multitude that they must believe it or, for their stubborn 
unbelief, they will be doomed to eternal burning in hell ! 



PEACE ON EARTH. Ill 

And, which is more criminal, Catholic and Protestant chiefs 
and leaders in matters of religion have alike, but in different 
ages as we have seen, procured the enactment of municipal 
laws providing the penalty of death for every one who should 
dare deny their human doctrine of " The Holy Trinity," as 
they term it. How many pious, truth-loving Christians have 
suffered death under such laws can only be known to us at 
the great day ! Would not such fiendish cruelty seem more 
befitting a set of "unwashed devils," than the professed fol- 
lowers of the meek and lowly Jesus ? 

Let us notice the ensuing references to the Holy Ghost 
with regard to the question whether he is an individual spirit, 
as we are assured that God the Father and Christ the Son 
each is, or whether he is the power of God, our teacher, an 
instrumentality of the Almighty. Notice the figurative terms 
found in the several texts which follow : " Ye were sealed with 
that Holy Spirit of promise " (Eph. i. 13), — as we seal pack- 
ages with a wafer or bit of wax ! " He [John the Baptist] 
shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's 
womb" (Luke i. 15). "And they were all filled with the 
Holy Ghost [on the day of pentecost], and began to speak 
with other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance " (Acts 
ii. 4). The Holy Ghost acted the part of their teacher, and 
of one who excelled all other teachers ; for he taught those 
unlettered fishermen instantly to speak languages of which 
they knew nothing before. Each one of them must have had 
his own instructor, or they could not have learned so much 
within a time so short, — could they ? In the thirty-third 
verse of that chapter, it is said that the Divine Spirit was on 
that occasion " shed forth " by our risen Saviour. From Acts 
v. 3, it appears that Satan also has power to fill the hearts of 
some people with his evil spirit. Instances of persons having 
been filled with the Holy Ghost are frequently reported in 
the sacred writings, and in so many different forms of lan- 
guage that to cite others here could do no good. 

Other figures are used for the same purpose. " I will pour 
water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry 
ground ; I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing 



112 PEACE ON EARTH. 

upon their offering" (Isa. xliv. 3). "I will pour out of my 
spirit upon all flesh," &c. (Joel ii. 28). And see Acts ii. 17. 
The term pour out, as we pour water, is likewise used in that 
connection, and frequently, all through the Bible. Is that 
fact favorable to the idea that the Holy Spirit is a person f 

According to King James's translation of the Bible (and 
that is the one uniformly cited and quoted in this work when 
no other is mentioned), John the Baptist said that, " He 
[Christ] shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with 
fire " (Matt. iii. 11). Here the Divine Spirit is analogized 
to, if not said to be used as, a baptismal font and to fire. 
And this view is still more clear as the passage is rendered 
both in the Douay, and in the American Bible Union, editions. 
The first of which gives it thus : " He shall baptize you in 
the Holy Ghost and fire." And the other in this way : " He 
will immerse you in the Holy Spirit and fire." Observe, the 
first of the three represents the baptism intended as admin- 
istered with, and the last two as in, the good Spirit. There 
are also many other passages of Scripture in which similar 
mention is made of baptism and the Holy Ghost, but the 
above are deemed sufficient for present purposes. 

The apostle Paul speaks of the Corinthian church as being 
" the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, 
but with the spirit of the living God ; not in tables of stone, 
but in fleshly tables of the heart " (2 Cor. iii. 3). The spirit 
of God certainly is the best possible writing fluid when the 
impression is to be made on the Christian's heart and read 
in the light of his life ; but if the apostle had believed that 
the Holy Spirit is a person, he surely would not have em- 
ployed that figure by which to have conveyed his meaning in 
that instance, — would he ? 

The Saviour promised to send his disciples another Com- 
forter, after he should cease ministering to them in person or 
as a man, and who should abide with them for ever. " Even 
the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because 
it seeth him not, neither knoweth him ; but ye know him, for 
he dwelleth with you and shall be in you" (John xiv. 17). 
Now is it not simply impossible that the Holy Ghost, if a per- 



TEACE ON EARTH. 113 



son, an individual spirit, can dwell with and be in all and each 
of the disciples of Christ at the same time ? Bear in mind that 
a spirit has personality and individuality as well as men and 
other animals have such qualities. And in 1 John iv. 13 it is 
written that, " Hereby know we that we dwell in him [in 
God] and he in us, because he hath given us of his spirit." 
That is, he has brought us, if we are truly his children, par- 
tially under the influence of the Holy Spirit. It was not so 
with Jesus, the Christ, however ; for of him it is said that, 
" God giveth not the spirit by measure unto him " (John iii. 
34). Such expressions as "of his spirit" and "the spirit by 
measure" do not indicate the thought that the spirit which is 
so apportioned is an individual, a person, — do they? All 
such remarks may nevertheless be predicated of a power most 
appropriately, as all must see. 

St. Paul said to his son Titus, God " saved us by the wash- 
ing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which 
he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour " 
(Tit. iii. 5, 6). What are we to understand by the words 
" renewing of the Holy Ghost " ? If the Holy Ghost is a 
person, and the third of a holy trinity of persons, he did not 
need renewing, — did he ? We certainly have no evidence 
that he engaged in sin and rebellion against God, as it is said 
that some misguided spirits (angels) under the lead of Satan 
did. Then do not the expressions, " washing of regeneration 
and renewing of the Holy Ghost," apply to fallen man? And 
if so, is it not thereby affirmed by implication strong that 
we have at some time been clean, and submissive to the Divine 
will, having no need of washing, regeneration, nor of a "re- 
newing of the Holy Ghost " within us ? When were we 
submissive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost before regen- 
eration through the intercession of Jesus Christ ? Before we 
arrived at the period of discretion, it cannot properly be said 
of us that we were submissive to either the Good or the Evil 
Spirit since we came into this life, — can it ? But to avoid 
digressing too far, we must conclude that by the words " re- 
newing of the Holy Ghost," as the apostle used them there, 
he intended no more than that the constraining, preventing, 

8 



114 PEACE ON EARTH. 



and saving power of God was renewed, brought into congenial 
action again, within them. And we should not overlook an- 
other noteworthy remark which is found in the text before 
us. It is likewise said there of the Holy Ghost that it was 
" shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour." 
People often shed tears in this world of woe ; the sun sheds 
his light " abundantly ; " and St. Paul furthermore says, 
" The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy 
Ghost which is given unto us " (Rom. v. 5). " Whoso readeth, 
let him understand." 

According to Acts x. 44, 45, while St. Peter was preaching 
to Cornelius, his family, and assembled friends, "the Holy 
Ghost fell on all them which heard the word," and those who 
went there with him were astonished, " because that on the 
gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. 
From this Scripture we learn that during the first gospel 
sermon which had ever been preached to that congregation, 
something fell on every one of them, and whatever it was 
that fell on them was poured out. Now was it a person, or a 
power, which was so poured out and fell on that assembly ? 
A correct answer to this question must settle the main one 
now under investigation. If, reader, you conclude that it was 
a power which produced such astonishment on that occasion, 
and desire such power, you can learn from Luke xi. 13 that 
God has promised to give that saving power to them that ask 
him for it. And from Acts viii. you may find that it is a 
treasure of great value, and can be had simply by asking for 
it ; and yet that it cannot be bought with money. That is 
also strange, — is it not ? 

St. Paul exhorted his brethren, saying, " If we live in the 
spirit, let us walk in the spirit " (Gal. v. 25). And St. Peter 
informs us that, " God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with 
the Holy Ghost and with power" (Acts x. 38). In the first 
of these texts, we are informed that the Holy Ghost is some- 
thing in which Christians could and should live and walk ; and 
in the other, that God anointed the Saviour with the same 
thing, whatever it may have been. That the language of each 
one of the apostles last quoted is figurative will not be denied ; 



PEACE ON EARTH. 115 

but when applied to the power and love of God, as each intended, 
the figures are both apt and beautiful. What should be said of 
such figurative expressions if intended to apply to any sort of 
a person, is left for the answer of some learned (?) one, who 
may find it necessary to wrest the Scriptures to sustain a 
favorite dogma of his. 

That the Holy Ghost is a gift, and the crowning gift of God 
to those who return to his love through faith in Jesus 
Christ, and not a personal being, is manifest from such texts 
as the following : " Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be 
unto you; as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 
And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith 
unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost" (John xx. 21, 22). 
This was after the resurrection. " Then Peter said unto 
them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name 
of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive 
the gift of the Holy Ghost " (Acts ii. 38). That was said to 
the amazed, alarmed, and penitent multitude of wicked Jews, 
on the day of pentecost, who had crucified the Son of God. 
And lastly : " This only would I learn of you, Received ye 
the spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith ? " 
(Gal. iii. 2.) The only comment deemed necessary, in the way 
of application of those Scriptures, as intimated above, is sim- 
ply to call attention to what St. John says as to the rela- 
tions which exist between God and those who have " put 
on Christ : " " If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and 
his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell 
in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his spirit " 
(1 John iv. 12, 13). 

It may be well enough, before passing from this branch of 
our inquiries, to say, that the divine power which is called 
indifferently "The spirit of God," "The Holy Spirit," 
" The Holy Ghost," &c, is one that may be and is exercised 
alike by the Father and the Son. The Saviour has informed 
us that the Father is greater than himself, and that in and of 
himself he can do nothing ; but that all power is given unto 
him in heaven and in earth by the Father ; and particularly, 
that the Father has given him power on earth to forgive and 



116 PEACE ON EARTH. 

to save us from eternal death. These endowments necessarily 
include the power to confer the gift of the Holy Ghost upon 
his disciples, to abide with and dwell in them. And it is in 
reference to this benign work of redemption, that our Saviour 
has informed us that he and the Father are one. They are 
one in love, purpose, and power to save penitent sinners. 

But as some may doubt whether the power to confer the 
gift of the Holy Ghost may be and in fact is exercised by 
both the Father and the Son, the following evidence is sub- 
mitted to show that such is the case. In John xiv. 16 we 
find this : " And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you 
another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever : even 
the spirit of truth," &c. And in the twenty-sixth verse of that 
chapter the Saviour further says : " But the Comforter, which 
is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, 
he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your re- 
membrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." And again the 
Son says : " But when the Comforter is come, whom I will 
send unto you from the Father, even the spirit of truth, which 
proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me," &c. (John 
xv. 26). The instance of the exercise of that power by the 
Son, which is recorded in John xx. 21, 22, and which has already 
been quoted in another connection, is conclusive proof of his 
power to confer that divine gift. 

A remark of the Saviour, in relation to the " Comforter," 
appears to have been misunderstood by some : " Nevertheless, 
I tell you the truth. It is expedient for you that I go away ; 
for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you ; 
but if I depart, I will send him unto you " (John xvi. 7). That 
verse should be construed as if the third clause read thus : 
" For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come [from 
me] unto you." When so read, the truth of the remark is 
self-evident, and it is full of meaning and comfort. And his 
intention certainly was to console his disciples in their grief 
on account of his near departure from them, by assuring them 
that it was best for themselves and for the cause in which he 
and they were engaged, that he should return to the Father ; 
for he could then minister to them, teach and comfort them, as 



PEACE ON EARTH. 117 

well as all other probationers on earth, more perfectly as their 
God and the mediator in heaven, than he could while here, 
living as a man, in the flesh. This, or some like construction, 
is necessary to reconcile that remark with the whole tenor of 
that conversation. For he had already told them that the 
Comforter to which he alluded " is the Holy Ghost," " even 
the spirit of truth ; " of the nature, office, and power of which 
" Comforter " he had also informed them, and which Holy 
Spirit was already with them, as they well knew. 

It should be observed, also, that the Holy Spirit is nowhere 
else in the Bible called the " Comforter," except in that one 
conversation. And when the Saviour spoke of him as " an- 
other Comforter," he evidently intended no more than a more 
efficient manifestation and exercise of the divine power by a 
crucified, risen, and glorified Redeemer, than could be effected 
by him while here as he then was. This view is confirmed 
by the consideration that none of the other evangelists saw 
fit to notice the descriptive term " Comforter " (" Paracletus ") 
as there used by the Saviour, in any way. But if a new and 
different sort of Comforter had been intended, they surely 
would all have recorded the promise, — would they not ? 

The Scriptural evidences which have been given above to 
prove that the manifestations of Almighty power, wisdom, and 
grace, which is called in the Word of God the Holy Ghost, &c, 
is not a distinct person as the Son of God is, must impress the 
mind of every unbiased reader as conclusive upon that question. 
And the truth is, that evidence more clear and irresistible 
could not have been given of that sacred truth, without hav- 
ing said directly and positively that the spirit of God is not 
an individual creature of his, but a name given to certain 
manifestations of his power and love. And to one who would 
not be satisfied with any evidence short of such divine declara- 
tion, it could not be proven that " the voice " of a man is 
not a person distinct from himself; for the Bible nowhere 
says, and in so many words, that it is not, — does it? 

There are several negative arguments against the person- 
ality of the Holy Ghost, and which strike the mind of the 
writer with much force. Wherefore, he offers a few of them 



118 PEACE ON EAKTH. 

to his readers for what they are worth. The first is drawn 
from the fact that in the agonizing prayer of Jesus Christ, 
just before and in full view of his betrayal, and while he made 
frequent mention of his then present and future disciples, and 
of the relations between himself and them, and of the personal 
relations which had previously, did then, and would thereafter 
exist between the Father and himself, and which runs through 
the whole chapter, — no reference whatever is made to the Holy 
Ghost. If it be true that the Holy Spirit is the third person 
in a holy trinity of persons, and equal in every respect with 
the Father and the Son, is it not amazing that, while the 
Saviour said so much about the Father and himself, and of 
his disciples too, not a word was said of the Holy Ghost? 
See John xvii. 

And would any intelligent and conscientious man of the 
Trinitarian faith have written the verse which follows ? "But 
I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ ; 
and the head of the woman is the man ; and the head of 
Christ is God" (1 Cor. xi. 3). In this enumeration of heads, 
no place is left for the Holy Ghost either as a head or an 
equal. And if the modern doctrine of the Trinity be true, the 
best we can say for the good old apostle who wrote that letter 
is that he was sadly mistaken in that important particular. 

Another evidence that the Holy Ghost is not a person — an 
individual .spirit — may legitimately be drawn from the fact 
that he has no name. The Father, the Son, and other celes- 
tial spirits have names; as Jehovah, Michael, Gabriel, &c. 
But who ever heard or read of any such proper name of the 
Holy Ghost? On the contrary, he is uniformly designated 
by words of description such as " the Holy Ghost," " the 
spirit of God," &c. 

And another negative argument against the belief that the 
Holy Ghost is a person, as God the Father and Jesus Christ 
are, is to be inferred from the fact that nobody has ever seen 
him; and we have no evidence that he purposely conceals 
himself from our sight. "We are fully informed that the great 
Jehovah uniformly concealed himself as in a cloud or in fire 
from the view of Moses and others, whenever he had occasion 



PEACE ON EARTH. 119 



to speak to him or them ; and that at one time he permitted 
Moses to take a back view of his person. And Daniel saw " in 
the night visions " the Father and Son together ; and St. John 
also saw them together ; and the Son has been seen often : 
yet no one up to this late age of the world, and as far as we 
are informed, has ever seen the Holy Ghost. Why? All 
who have carefully examined the authorities given in the pre- 
ceding pages, must come to the same conclusion as to the 
reason why the Holy Spirit of God has never been seen ; and 
it is for the all-sufficient reason that he is not a personal 
being, and therefore he has no body either as a man or an 
angel, which could be seen. 

In view of all the authorities to be found in the revealed 
Word of God which bear upon the subject (but few compara- 
tively of which have been noticed in these pages however), 
the writer has come to the same conclusion at which St. Paul 
arrived (but by a much shorter process in his case), and 
which is that there is " one God and Father of all, who is 
above all," &c. (Eph. iv. 5). And further, that, by the term 
Holy Ghost, that sovereign wisdom and power is intended by 
which God, knowing all things, effects all his purposes, — such 
as to create worlds and to govern, teach, reward, &c. ; all of 
which he may do, either directly or by such instrumentalities 
as he may prefer. 

I do not wish to weary the reader by belaboring this sub- 
ject longer. It cannot be necessary to press the matter fur- 
ther ; for the Scriptures are too full, clear, and plain in this 
regard to admit of mistake or doubt by any one who really 
desires to know the truth. If, however, men want to believe 
that there is " one true and living God in three persons, 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," and yet that the Son is " of 
one substance with the Father" (as expressed by Pope 
Pius IV.), they will believe it still, and as firmly, without 
evidence and against evidence and reason too, as if sustained 
by both. Hence it can do no good to offer argument or proof 
to those who " will not believe " any evidence when produced. 
Every one who will look into this whole matter with the care 
which its importance deserves, must come to the conclusion 



120 PEACE ON EARTH. 

that the notion that there are three persons in one, as applied 
to the Deity, originated not from the Bible but in priestcraft 
alone, and that it lives on the superstitious fears of a priest- 
ridden people, whether they be Catholics or Protestants. 

For, as we have seen, during long ages men were compelled 
so to believe (or say they did) on pain of death ; and now to 
question " in any way " the Trinitarian doctrine, as held by 
Catholic and Protestant teachers, subjects the recusant mem- 
ber to all the anathemas of the former and to exclusion from 
most of the latter churches. Let others incline as they may, 
for myself I prefer the guidance of " the spirit of truth which 
proceeds from the Father," and of his written Word, through 
this dark and dreary world, rather than listen to the " fables " 
and follow " the commandments of men that turn from the 
truth." 

It is easy to believe that there is one God and Father of 
all ; that Jesus Christ is his Son and our Saviour ; that they, 
although one in purpose, are as distinct in person as were 
Abraham and Isaac his son ; and that by the term " Holy 
Ghost" that power is intended which proceeds from the 
Father, and teaches, warns, and encourages probationers in 
this life, as we are taught in the Bible. 

A theory which is at once so natural, reasonable, and Script- 
ural as that is, could at any time have been sufficiently im- 
pressed on every Christian mind, without the infliction of 
temporal pains and penalties for that purpose. 



PEACE ON EARTH. 121 



CHAPTER XI. 

Concerning Gods, Devils, and Angels. — " There be Gods many and 
Lords many." — " God of Gods." — Prophets, Apostles, and Judges 
called Gods. — " Sons of God." — All to become Gods or Devils. — 
All to be called Angels. — The lost Song. 

f^HE fact that the Father and Son are alike called God, 
"*~ and that many other spirits are called gods also, deserves 
some attention here. We are informed by St. Paul that 
" there be gods many and lords many. But to us there is but 
one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for him ; 
and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things and we by 
him" (1 Cor. viii. 5, 6). That being true, as all Christians 
must admit, it becomes desirable to know who or what creat- 
ures he calls gods. Looking no further than to the above 
passage, we see that some creatures of God are called gods. 
For he there says that " there is but one God, the Father, of 
whom are all things," and "one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom 
are all things," &c. ; and therefore all other beings which he 
calls gods must be creatures of the Father. 

Of the word lord or " lords " as used by the apostle there, I 
will only remark that it is one of very general application, 
and merely denotes a superior. Thus, Jehovah-God is called 
" the Lord God," and he is above all other beings. Jesus 
Christ is called " the Lord," and he being next in dignity and 
authority to the Father is superior to all else. The mem- 
bers of the upper house of the British Parliament are called 
"Lords," and hotel-keepers and others are called "landlords." 
In Deut. x. 17, it is said that " The Lord your God is God 
of Gods." (See also Josh. xxii. 22, and Ps. cxxxvi. 2, and 
lxxxii. 1.) From these texts it is clear that the same idea of 
" gods many " was entertained by the Old Testament writers. 
Now were these " gods many " citizens of heaven ? or were 
they denizens of earth ? or were they to be found both in heaven 



122 PEACE ON EARTH. 

and earth ? From Job we learn that when " the foundations 
of the earth " were laid, " the morning stars sang together, 
and all the sons of God shouted for joy " (Job xxxviii. 4-7). 
Who are they that are called " morning stars," and who sang 
together on that interesting occasion ? In Rev. xxii. 16, 
Jesus Christ is said to be " The bright and morning star." 
We must conclude, therefore, that he is the first, the brightest, 
the ruling star of that seraphic host who sang praises to the 
Father God for that goodness and mercy which were mani- 
fested by the grace in which " the foundations of the earth " 
were laid ; and the holy angels of heaven, yet those who are 
not of such as are designated by the term " morning stars," 
are "the sons of God" who "shouted for joy." What a glo- 
rious time was that ! — singing and shouting in heaven ! But 
that happy throng are not done rejoicing on that account yet ; 
for " there is joy in heaven over every sinner that repenteth." 

But to return ; may not all the morning stars and sons of 
God, who sang and shouted on that gladsome event, with pro- 
priety be called gods ? That they may well be so called will 
hardly be denied. And there is another class of Scriptures 
from which it appears that quite a number of denizens of this 
world are likewise called gods. In Exodus xxii. 28, this com- 
mand is found : " Thou shalt not revile the gods (or judges), 
nor curse the ruler of thy people." And in Psalms lxxxii. 6, 
we find this : "I have said, Ye are gods, and all of you are 
children of the Most High." The Saviour quoted that pas- 
sage, and made the remarks which follow on that subject, 
namely : " Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods ? 
If he called them gods unto whom the Word of God came, 
and the Scripture cannot be broken, say ye of him whom the 
Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blas- 
phem est, because I said I am the Son of God?" (John x. 
34-36.) " The word of God came " to the prophets and apos- 
tles, and through them to us. Should we not therefore infer 
that the Saviour considered all the true prophets and apostles 
entitled to be called gods ? 

And again, it is said in John i. 12 that, " As many as re- 
ceived him [Jesus Christ], to them gave he power to become 



PEACE ON EARTH. 123 



the sons of God." And St. Paul says, " As many as are led 
by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God " (Rom. viii. 
14). "Sons of God," that is, faithful disciples — Christians. 
And, as already suggested, all the sons of God may properly 
be called gods, just as men of superior wealth or position are 
called lords, — may they not ? 

If, then, all who " are led by the Spirit of God " may with 
propriety be called gods, what should they be called who " are 
led by the spirit of "the Devil? — Devils, of course. And, 
kind reader, if you will examine the whole matter in the light 
of revelation, you will find the truth of the case to be, that 
there are but two classes of eternal spirits. There is one 
great Creator of all whose name is Jehovah ; and one Redeemer 
whose celestial name was Michael; and there is one arch- 
deceiver whose name is Satan. And all the servants of God 
and his Son Michael (Jesus Christ) are called gods, and all 
the servants of Satan are called devils ; and by one or the 
other of these two names, all of each of the two families of 
spirits will be called and known during all eternity. 

The term angel seems to have been applied indiscriminately 
to all the family of Jehovah, of whom we learn any thing in 
the Bible from the first of Genesis to the last of Revelation. 
Michael, who is also (and usually in the New Testament) 
called Christ, is called the Archangel (Jude ix. and Dan. xii. 
1) ; Satan is spoken of as an angel (2 Cor. xi. 14), and men- 
tion is made of " the angel of the bottomless pit " (Rev. ix. 
11). And all who were engaged in that " war in heaven," 
of which we read in Revelation xii., and on either side, are 
called angels. The disembodied spirit of the old prophet, 
who was sent back from heaven to deliver that important 
message to St. John, is called an angel (Rev. xix. 10, and 
xxii. 8, 9). We may fairly suppose that, inasmuch as the 
messenger who was so employed was called an angel, others 
who are redeemed here and return to heaven will like- 
wise be called angels, — may we not ? At the judgment of 
the great day, all who are not restored to the Divine favor 
will receive the awful sentence, " Depart from me, ye cursed, 
into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels " 



124 PEACE ON EARTH. 

(Matt. xxv. 41). And all that miserable host will ever re- 
main the angels of the Devil, — will they not ? So as it must 
be observed by every one, all eternal spirits have been, now 
are, and will continue to be known as and called angels, 
whether they ultimately go up to heaven or down to hell. 

By way of digression, I beg leave to recall the reader's 
attention to the following summary of the above facts, and to 
make a suggestion in relation thereto. Observe, that those 
who were driven from heaven with Satan, and they who re- 
mained there, were all called angels ; the redeemed here who 
have or may return there are and will be called angels, and 
those who continue in the service of Satan will also be called 
angels. Then we all have and will retain the same old family 
name. How is that, if we and they are of entirely different 
families ? 

In the warfare which is progressing here we have the 
same leaders as before ; but Michael is now called Christ, 
and his soldiers are called Christians or saints, and Satan is 
now called the Devil, and his soldiers are called devils or 
sinners. Those who were cast out with Satan are held as 
prisoners here until the final judgment (Jude 6), and then 
they and we are all to be judged at the same time ; and all 
who are then judged, except those who are redeemed in this 
life, will be sent to the same place of punishment, and for the 
same term ; and that place is the same which was " prepared 
for the Devil and his angels." Were the sins of those who 
were cast out of heaven so nearly the same as are the sins of 
men in this life, that we and they should receive precisely the 
same punishment ? Are we and they so similar in our nature, 
and our offences so much alike, that the same sort and degree 
of punishment is adapted to the nature and due for the 
crimes of each? Are we to believe that the same evil genius 
has been permitted to deceive, betray, and ruin two distinct 
families of God's children, — one in heaven, and another on 
earth ? Is not all this wonderfully strange if true ? — as it 
must be, if we and they are of no kin ! 

But we are wandering too far. A few years ago our chil- 
dren were taught in Sabbath-schools to sing, " I want to be 



PEACE ON EARTH. 125 



an angel," and which they did with gleesome delight. Chris- 
tians generally have entertained pleasurable hopes that they 
will sometime get to be angels ; and our homespun sort of 
preachers, who are led more by the Holy Spirit in their inves- 
tigations of the sacred oracles and reflections about the world 
to come than by any human creed of religion, have ever 
encouraged such sweet anticipations, believing them to be 
well founded. But while that angelic song was in the zenith 
of its popularity, I was pained at hearing the pastor of a 
church, in preaching to his flock, say and insist that we (as a 
race) are not, never were, and never will be angels ; and I re- 
gretted much more, a short time thereafter, to see an editorial 
article in one of our best Sabbath-school magazines, in which 
the very same opinion was expressed and advocated. 

In our present condition, they were both technically correct 
in saying that we are not angels now ; for in our present con- 
dition we are called and known as men, women, and children. 
But, if we are of those who were cast out of heaven with Satan, 
we certainly have been angels; and all who finally make 
their home in hell (as we have seen) will no less certainly 
be angels hereafter, whether they have been of that class of 
spirits heretofore or not. So that there can be no doubt as 
to the fact that all our race will hereafter be angels, except 
the comparatively few who will ultimately reach the home of 
the angels of God. And as some who have preceded us are 
angels in heaven now, we have the best sort of evidence that, 
if we should be so fortunate as to be numbered with the re- 
deemed of the Lord, we too will be angels, and so continue 
to be classed and known for ever. It is therefore undeniably 
true that both of the ministers alluded to, and all who so 
teach, are deceivers, — " false prophets." 



126 PEACE ON EARTH. 



CHAPTER XII. 

The Atonement. — Scriptures relating thereto clear, when viewed as apply- 
ing to Fallen Angels. — Antinomianism a device of the Devil. — A change 
of opinion produced, how. — Texts relied upon to sustain Predestina- 
tion noticed. — Other Scriptures contrasted with them. — A certain 
Class elected. — Another Class rejected. — All to be judged by our 
Works. 

'TPHERE are but few questions, if any, in regard to which 
•*■ Christians differ in opinion, that would be more affected 
by the common approval of the theory "that the souls of 
men are of the fallen angels," than those which relate to the 
nature and extent of the atonement which was made by Jesus 
Christ for our race ; for if we admit that we are of those who 
were cast out of heaven with Satan, for sin and rebellion 
under his deceptive influence there, and that we are brought 
into this life for any sort of probationary purpose, we must 
believe also that the grace which brought us here has pro- 
vided for all who come some chance to be profited by our 
coming. This is the most reasonable inference from that state 
of facts, — is it not ? 

It is not likely that any fair-minded man or woman, who 
sincerely believes that we owe our origin to that "war in 
heaven" will ever adopt the antinomian view of the Atone- 
ment ; because, to do so would be equivalent to a charge against 
our all-wise and omnipotent Creator and indulgent Father, 
not only of gross partiality in his manner of dealing with his 
creatures, but of mocking at the fears and laughing at the 
calamities of his own (once dearly beloved though now erring) 
children ! — unheard of mercy! By bringing us here, and put- 
ting the Bible in our hands with all the blessed assurances 
found therein (such, for instance, as the following : " Come 
unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will 
give you rest ; " " Jesus was made a little lower than the 



PEACE ON EARTH. 127 

angels, that by the grace of God he should taste death for 
every 'man ; " " Whosoever will, let him take the water of 
life freely,") fond hopes of " a better day a-coming " are natu- 
rally excited in the mind of all who read the " glad tidings " 
contained in that good old Book. All who believe that there 
is a God, a Devil, a heaven, and a hell (as most people in all 
ages and countries have and do believe), and who have read 
or may read those precious promises, must at some period of 
life feel encouraged to hope for a personal interest in them. 
Is not this true ? Then, if the future destiny of all was 
settled, unalterably fixed, before the world was made, are not 
all of those (if there be any) who are doomed already to 
eternal punishment in hell, deceived? — honestly, naturally 
deceived ? — deceived by what they read in the Bible ! And 
are not all such deluded men and women (if such there be) 
subject to be mocked, laughed at, and ridiculed by all bad 
men and devils who behold them and know their horrible 
condition ? 

If such be our nature and origin, and if some of us have no 
interest in the salvation which was purchased by Jesus Christ, 
and therefore have no chance to avoid a home in that place 
of final punishment which " was prepared for the Devil and 
his angels," why are we all here ? Why were not those for 
whom no pardon was provided sent on to their eternal home 
at once ? Or why were they not kept in Tartarus, " in chains 
under darkness," until the contemplated work of redemption 
was completed, and then sent on to their permanent home? 
In any view of the case, what good reason can be given why 
any one should have been brought into this life who must go 
to hell at last, and without regard to any thing that he may 
desire or do in this world? And certain it is, that the all- 
wise and omnipotent Being who created the universe has not 
done and will not do any thing without a good and sufficient 
reason for so doing. Who will deny this proposition ? 

Next to that of a trinity of persons in the Godhead (and 
which has been so fruitful of infidelity), the doctrine of abso- 
lute and unconditional election and reprobation has, as it is 
believed, been the means of the damnation of more men than 



128 PEACE ON" EARTH. 



any other scheme which the Devil has invented. That is the 
specific remedy which Satan administers to every sin -sick soul, 
and which by far too frequently proves effectual ; and it is 
the most successful bait that he has yet procured with which 
to seduce the unwary Christian from the path of duty, and 
finally to entrap him again. When the Holy Ghost has 
aroused the ungodly sinner to a fearful sense of the danger 
to which he continually stands exposed, and of the necessity 
of repentance and obedience to the plain and simple require- 
ments which the gospel makes of all who believing in Jesus 
Christ want to be saved by him, up comes the deceiver with 
his quack medicine, and whispers in his listening ear : " Be 
not alarmed ; God will do right. You cannot save yourself : 
if you are one of the elect, he will save you in his own good 
time and way ; and if you are not, you cannot reverse the 
decree of the Almighty," &c. 

All that is literally true. God will do right : we cannot 
save ourselves ; if of the elect we will be saved, and we can- 
not reverse the decrees of heaven. But it is the same sort 
of truth by which he deceived our mother Eve. " The ser- 
pent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die, for God 
doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes 
shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and 
evil." She took his counsel, eat of the fruit, and the conse- 
quences were just what God and the serpent both had said 
they would be. They (Adam and Eve) became "as gods 
knowing good and evil ; " and while it is true that she did 
not die a natural death, as she had previously supposed she 
would if she should violate the Divine command, yet she 
did die a spiritual death, which was incomparably worse. 
And so she was deceived into sin and death, not by direct 
falsehood, but by a perversion of the truth, — the worst sort 
of lying. 

And just so it is that the same archfiend deceives all who 
come within his reach and power. When he tries to lull the 
fears of the penitent sinner or of the unwary Christian, he 
tells such an one that all the elect will certainly be saved. 
And so they will be : but in that he takes advantage of an 



PEACE (Xtf EARTH. 129 



error into which he had previously betrayed his victim, with 
respect to the reasons which had guided the Divine will in 
determining whom he would save and whom destroy ; and 
therefore he simply perverts the truth. 

The Devil does not inform his disciples here in this life that 
God has predestinated to eternal happiness in heaven all who 
believe, repent, and keep the commandments, and that he has 
predestinated all who do not repent to eternal punishment in 
hell. Of course he does not ; for were he so to teach, the last 
one of them would abandon him and return to God without 
delay, would they not ? But he adroitly impresses the mind 
of all who learn of him that : " Those of mankind that are 
predestinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the 
world was laid, according to his eternal and immutable pur- 
pose and the secret counsel and good pleasure of his will, hath 
chosen in Christ unto everlasting glory, out of his mere free 
grace and love, without any foresight of faith or good works, 
or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the 
creature, as conditions or causes moving him thereunto ; and 
all to the praise of his glorious grace" The counterpart of 
that article of faith is in these words : " The rest of mankind 
God was pleased, according to the unsearchable counsel of his 
will, whereby he extendeth or withholdeth mercy as he pleas- 
eth, for the glory of his sovereign power over his creatures, to 
pass by, and to ordain them to dishonor and wrath for their 
sin, to the praise of his glorious justice" 

Then, if a thing so strange be true, 
Man has but little here to do 
More than to serve, as best he may, 
His own desires while here we stay. 
And when the saved shall meet in heaven, 
God's praise must all up there be given ; 
For those who go to that hot place 
Will not perceive ' ' his glorious grace I ' ' 

Will they? 

The above are the fifth and seventh sections of the third 
chapter of the Presbyterian confession of faith ; and they 
are copied here from the same volume from which the arti- 

9 



130 PEACE ON EARTH. 

cle on the Trinity was taken for examination in a preced- 
ing chapter. There the writer paid that old, intelligent, and 
pious Christian family a well-merited compliment ; and here 
he must offer them the best apology of which the truth 
will admit, for having introduced the above articles of their 
faith as a result of the false impressions which are made on 
the minds of men by the Devil. In the first place it is re- 
marked, that it should be sufficient to remind my learned 
brethren that the Devil " deceiveth the whole world." That 
includes all men of every degree of capacity, whether Chris- 
tian, pagan, or infidel. We are. all deceived by him in some 
respect; we are all imperfect, and therefore liable to err. 
Great and good men doubtless so hold and teach ; and the 
writer of this so believed until some thirty years old, and as 
firmly as he ever believed any thing. But for the change of 
my views as to the origin and nature of the human soul, the 
presumption is that I would have been of that opinion still. 
But on reading the Scriptures which bear upon the doctrine 
of election as applying to rebellious angels who were cast out 
of heaven with Satan, and who had been in his service long 
before coming into this life, my mind has undergone a radical 
change relative to the questions of Election and Free-will. 

And if the same cause uniformly produces the same effect ; 
and if the reader will " search the Scriptures " as earnestly 
and laboriously as the writer did, to learn the true origin of 
our race as revealed therein, — he or she will reach the same 
conclusion about that matter. And then we will differ no 
longer as to the nature and extent of the Atonement ; for in 
that view of ourselves the whole matter is too plain, natural, 
and simple to admit of any doubt. It is nevertheless true, 
however, that the Word of God clearly teaches that all men 
are invited, and may repent and be converted, whether we 
interpret that Word as applicable to fallen angels, to spirits 
which are first brought into being when and as their bodies 
are, or to such as are created at the time their bodies are 
born ; if there be such. 

In the first part of the fourth chapter of this work the 
following belief is expressed : " That Jesus Christ brings us 



PEACE ON EARTH. 131 



into this life, and by the Holy Spirit teaches, warns, and offers 
each and every one pardon, full and free, who may prove 
worthy of such grace by repentance, faith, and obedience to 
the Divine will." That form of faith antagonizes directly and 
fully the views presented by the two articles above quoted; 
and it is now proposed to look into some of the evidence con- 
tained in the Bible which is applicable to this issue, but in a 
brief way. 

We will first notice the Scriptural texts which are cited in 
that confession, in support of the belief there expressed, and 
which are the following : — 

" (2.) Eph. i. 4, 9, 11 : According as he hath chosen us in 
him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be 
holy and without blame before him in love. Having made 
known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good 
pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself. In whom also 
we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated accord- 
ing to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the 
counsel of his own will. — Rom. viii. 30 : Moreover, whom he 
did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, 
them he also justified ; and whom he justified, them he also 
glorified. — 2 Tim. i. 9 : Who hath saved us, and called us 
with an holy calling ; not according to our works, but accord- 
ing to his purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ 
Jesus before the world began. — 1 Thess. v. 9 : For God hath 
not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our 
Lord Jesus Christ. — (3) Rom. ix. 11, 13, 16 [These verses 
are only so cited, but they are as follows] : For the children 
being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that 
the purpose of God according to election might stand ; not 
of works, but of him that calleth. As it is written, Jacob 
have I loved, but Esau have I hated. So then, it is not 
of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth ; but of God 
that showeth mercy. — (4) Eph: i. 6-12 : To the praise of the 
glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the 
Beloved ; that we should be to the praise of his glory, who 
first trusted in Christ." 

The above are the authorities cited in support of the first 



132 PEACE ON EARTH. 



branch of the proposition now under review ; and the follow- 
ing are those offered to sustain the other : — 

" Matt. xi. 25, 26 : At that time Jesus answered and said, 

1 thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because 
thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and 
hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it 
seemed good in thy sight. — Rom. ix. 17, 18, 21, 22 : For the 
Scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose 
have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, 
and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 
Therefore hath he mercy, &c. Hath not the potter power over 
the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor 
and another unto dishonor? What if God, willing to show 
his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much 
long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction? — 

2 Tim. ii. 20 : But in a great house there are not only ves- 
sels of gold and silver, but also of wood and of earth; and 
some to honor and some to dishonor. — Jude 4 : For there 
are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old 
ordained to this condemnation ; ungodly men, turning the 
grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only 
Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. — 1 Pet. ii. 8 : Being 
disobedient ; whereunto also they were appointed." 

That God did foreknow all things from the beginning we 
must admit, or reject the authority of the Bible. Then when 
Eden was planted, he knew what would be the final destiny of 
all our race. And from the Scriptures above quoted (and there 
are many others of similar import) we should also believe that 
God did elect and predestinate some of us to eternal life in 
heaven, and that he did likewise predestinate that all others 
should depart to the place " prepared for the Devil and his 
angels." This fundamental and fearful truth is plainly taught 
in God's Word ; but the question before us is, On what prin- 
ciple, for what reason, did God so elect to save some men and 
women, and to reject others ? Was that Divine choice made 
" without any foresight of faith or good works, or perseverance 
in either of them, or any other thing in the creature as condi- 
tions or causes moving him thereunto," as it is so affirmed that 



PEACE ON EARTH. 133 



it was ? Or was it made in full view of the fact that some 
would believe, repent, and obey " the law of the Lord," and 
that others would not; and with regard to the conduct, in 
that respect, of each one in this life ? Or, more briefly, did 
God arbitrarily and (as we would say of men) capriciously, 
and without any good and sufficient reason, u predestinate " 
some certain men to a home in heaven, and to damn certain 
other men eternally? Or was it his purpose to try us all 
fairly and impartially, and to prove us; and then to save 
all who believe, repent, and obey, and to reject all who refuse 
so to do? 

In the last form we have the true issue, and one that is 
intelligible and tangible. And the writer has " elected " to 
take the negative or last mentioned side of that question, and 
with St. Peter to insist " that God is no respecter of persons ; 
but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh right- 
eousness is accepted with him." 

As the reader must have observed, all the authorities but 
two, that are cited or quoted in support of the affirmative (as 
we will hereafter call it) of this question, are taken from the 
writings of St. Paul ; and the other two can have but little 
if any bearing upon it. We will therefore look first into 
some other remarks which he made in the same letters, 
with an occasional italicizing and parenthesis in the way of 
emphasis and explanation ; and then offer some thoughts 
for the purpose of removing all appearance of conflict in 
what that learned and faithful apostle said therein, or else- 
where. And both for purposes of fairness and brevity we 
will take them as they come, in each epistle, quoted on the 
other side. 

In the first chapter of Roman's, 21-32, we have this, and 
more : " And even as they did not like to retain Grod in their 
knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do 
those things which are not convenient. Who knowing the 
judgment of God, that they which commit such things are 
worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in 
them that do them." And see the same, ii. 6-13 : " God will 
render to every man according to his deeds; to them who by 



134 PEACE ON EARTH. 

patient continuance in well doing, &c, eternal life ; but unto 
them that are contentious and do not obey the truth, but 
obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath. For there is no 
respect of persons with God. For not the hearers of the law 
are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified." 
Ibid., iii. 28 : " Therefore we conclude that a man is justified 
[made just] by faith, without the deeds of the law." (A gen- 
tile is justified by means of faith in Christ, " without the deeds 
of the " Jewish law.) Ibid., v. 13 : " For until the law, sin 
was in the world ; but sin is not imputed where there is no 
law." Ibid., vi. 16: "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield 
yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye 
obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto right- 
eousness?" (Is there no volition implied here?) Again, ibid., 
viii. 13 : " For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die ; but if ye 
through the Spirit do mortify the deeds [the desires] of the 
body, ye shall live." (Are there no conditions affixed to our 
fate ?) We are told (verse IT) that we shall be " Heirs of 
God, and joint heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with 
him." 

After the passages that are quoted from Rom. ix. to sus- 
tain the affirmative of our question, St. Paul says (verse 32) : 
" Wherefore ? [Why were Jews, who follow after the cere- 
monial law, cut off ?] Because they sought it [righteousness] 
not by faith [in Christ], but, as it were, by the works of the 
law." Ibid., x. 4-13 : " For Christ is the end of the law [or 
put an end to that law] for righteousness to every one that 
believeth. Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the 
law. That the man which doeth those things shall live by 
them." (Were not all men saved who did the works of the 
law under the Jewish dispensation ? But now it is said that) 
" There is no difference between the Jew and Greek ; for the 
same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him [as 
directed in the Gospel]. For whosoever shall [so] call upon 
the name of the Lord shall be saved." Ibid., xi. 2 : " God 
hath not cast away his people [the Jews] which he foreknew " 
(would believe, repent, &c. He foreknew everybody, did he 
not?). Ibid., xiv. 18: "For he that in these things [the things 



PEACE ON EARTH. 135 



taught in the Gospel] serveth Christ is acceptable to God and 
approved of men." 

The above texts, found in the letter to the Romans, are 
deemed sufficient to excite a suspicion in the reader's mind, 
if no more, that those taken from that epistle and relied upon 
to sustain the belief of an absolute and personal election and 
reprobation are misunderstood. We will now notice similar 
remarks which are contained in Ephesians, to show that the 
same is true with regard to the authorities taken from that 
letter, and relied upon also to sustain the same unnatural 
error. 

On reading that epistle, we may all profit by observing and 
heeding the exhortation of the apostle, that : " Till we all 
come in [into] the unity of the faith, &c, we henceforth be 
no more children, tossed to and fro and carried about with 
every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning crafti- 
ness [as by getting up so-called confessions of faith or creeds 
of religion], whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but, speaking 
the truth in love [we], may grow up into [a knowledge of and 
faith in] him in all things, which is the head, even Christ " 
(Eph. iv. 13-15). 

In the sixth chapter of that epistle (verses 1-8), St. Paul 
teaches and warns thus : " Children, obey your parents in the 
Lord ; for this is right. Honor thy father and mother, which 
is the first commandment with promise, &c. Servants, be obe- 
dient to them that are your masters, &c. With good-will 
doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men ; knowing that 
whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive 
of the Lord, whether he be bond or free." Here we learn that 
God will reward us even for doing our duty to other people. 
Then if we fail to discharge a duty to him, will he reward us 
all the same ? If not, the Divine blessings depend somewhat 
on our conduct, do they not ? 

In the next verse the apostle concludes that branch of his 
subject with the other admonition and declaration : " And, ye 
masters, do the same things unto them for bearing threaten- 
ing ; knowing that your Master also is in heaven : neither is 
there respect of persons with him " (Eph. vi. 9). And then he 



136 PEACE ON EARTH. 



opens his concluding remarks in this way : " Finally, my breth- 
ren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 
Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand 
against the wiles of the Devil," &c. What ! is there danger 
that any Christian may fall? 

Much reliance appears to be placed upon 2 Tim. ii. 20, in 
support of the affirmative. All the comment deemed neces- 
sary to a just appreciation of that evidence is simply to give 
that verse, with the preceding and following ones. And here 
they are (verse 19) : " Nevertheless, the foundation of God 
standeth sure, having this seal : The Lord knoweth them that 
are his. And let every one that nameth the name of Christ 
depart from iniquity." Verse 20 : " But in a great house 
there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of 
wood and of earth ; and some to honor and some to dishonor." 
Verse 21 : " If a man therefore purge himself from these [the 
things just enumerated], he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanc- 
tified and meet for the Master's use, and prepared unto every 
good work." But if a man purge not himself " from these," 
how then ? Does this look as if God chose his elect " with- 
out any foresight of faith or good works " ? But of this more 
anon. And to prevent suspicion that there is something wrong 
about the allegation that St. Paul speaks of a man " purging 
himself " from sin, attention is here called to the last verse of 
that chapter, which is this : " And that they may recover them- 
selves out of the snare of the Devil, who are taken captive by 
him at his will" (2 Tim. ii. 26). 

While it is true that the apostle to the gentiles wrote more 
of the foreknowledge of God, and of election and predestina- 
tion, than any other inspired writer, he also taught that sal- 
vation is purely of grace through faith, and dependent upon 
obedience to the requirements of the gospel, as fully and 
clearly as did any other evangelist or apostle. He was a bold 
writer, one whose sole purpose was to serve God faithfully, 
and to benefit his fellow-men. And with that view, he wrote 
so that such as sincerely desire to learn the truth can do so, 
but regardless of the mere caviler's objections, as well as of 
the craftiness of those who wish to pervert what he said for 



PEACE ON EARTH. 137 

selfish purposes, " men of corrupt minds and destitute of the 
truth, supposing that gain is godliness" as he describes them. 
But of the duty to observe and do the works appointed in the 
gospel (as well as of the danger of falling away), and of the 
value of such works, he wrote perhaps as fully and strongly as 
did any other. 

In addition to the remarks of that apostle which have been 
referred to already, he said of good works and their value as 
conditions to salvation : " Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have 
always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much 
more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and 
trembling ; for it is God which worketh in you both to will 
and to do of his own good pleasure" (Phil. ii. 12, 13). 
Again : " For in doing this, thou shalt both save thyself and 
them that hear thee" (1 Tim. iv. 16). "Wherefore, let him 
that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall " (1 Cor. 10- 
12). " Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ 
hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke 
of bondage " (Gal. v. 1). "For if we sin wilfully, after that 
we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth 
no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of 
judgment and fiery indignation" &c. (Heb. x. 26, 27). 

The exhortation, "work out your own salvation with fear and 
trembling," if considered alone, would be found as strong as 
any, if not the strongest, authority contained in the Bible in 
favor of the idea that we can save ourselves by our own indi- 
vidual efforts ; but, when read in connection with other lan- 
guage of his, and with an honest desire to get his views on 
that subject, we find that St. Paul (as well as every other 
inspired writer) has taught us to believe (as stated above) 
that salvation is purely of grace through the instrumentality 
of faith, — not in virtue of our works, — and that God is not 
partial in his dealings with us, but that the same grace is 
freely offered to all, and upon the same conditions, namely, of 
our repentance and obedience to the law of Christ as contained 
in his gospel. 

There is a reason why the apostle to the gentiles wrote 
more fully than did other inspired writers of the foreknowl- 



138 PEACE ON EAETH. 

edge of God, of his providences, the time when and how the 
grace by which we may be saved was given us, &c. And it 
is simply because he was more fully instructed in such secret 
things than was any other of his time, or (as far as we are 
informed) who had lived here before him. This is manifest 
from the fact that he wrote more about such things, more 
fully, and in a manner very different from the other sacred 
writers. But as to his superior information concerning secret 
things we are not left to conjecture alone. In 2 Cor. xii. 1-9, 
we have a key to all that mystery. We are there informed 
that " a man " was " caught up to the third heaven," — " into 
paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful 
for a man to utter." That " man " unquestionably was the 
apostle himself, as it is clearly intimated there. 

As the writer has had occasion to show in a former work, 1 
the apostle Paul was fully informed of the nature and origin 
of our race, and why and for what purpose we are here ; and 
he indirectly or casually made frequent allusion to such " secret 
things " in his epistles, and about in the same way, or rather 
to the same extent, that the Saviour spoke of them himself. 
And notwithstanding all the inspired writers knew that we 
have lived somewhere and in some way before we came into 
this life, yet we have abundant evidence that they — or at 
least that the immediate disciples of Christ — did not know to 
what class or family of pre-existent spirits we belong. 

That it was well understood, however, by the disciples of 
Jesus Christ, that both he and they had lived before, will suf- 
ficiently appear from the two conversations between him and 
them which follow : " Whom do men say that I the Son of 
man am ? And they said, Some say that thou art John the 
Baptist ; some Elias ; and others Jeremias, or one of the 
prophets " (Matt. xvi. 13, 14). All appear to have known 
that Christ had lived before. " And as Jesus passed by, he 
saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disci- 
ples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man or his 
parents, that he was born blind?" To which question Jesus 
Christ answered, in substance, that it was not on account of 

1 War in Heaven, chap. xii. 



PEACE ON EARTH. 139 



his nor of his parents' sins that the man was born blind ; but 
that he should have that opportunity to make known his 
miraculous power. He did not, however, say that the blind 
man could not have sinned before he was born into this life, 
as the disciples evidently thought that he might have done. 
If those who were learning wisdom of Jesus had been in error 
on a matter of that importance, would he not have corrected 
them ? See John ix. 1-3. And at another time the Saviour 
said to certain unbelieving Jews : " Ye are from beneath ; I 
am from above. I speak that which I have seen with my 
Father ; and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. 
Ye are of your father, the Devil," &c. (John viii. 23, 38, 44). 
So it appears that the Redeemer and the redeemed all come 
from somewhere else into this world, and that this is merely 
a common meeting-place, and not the pristine home of any 
of us. 

And that just before the crucifixion the disciples did not 
know what family or class of spirits they were of, we have the 
best sort of evidence. For when some Samaritans refused to 
entertain our Saviour and his disciples, James and John asked 
leave to " command fire to come down from heaven and con- 
sume them, even as Elias did ; " but Jesus " turned and 
rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit 
ye are of" (Luke ix. 51-55). But, as we learn in Revela- 
tion, one of them (St. John) was thereafter fully informed in 
regard to that matter ; and which had hitherto " been kept 
secret from the foundation of the world." 



140 PEACE ON EARTH. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

The same Subject continued. — How to reconcile all Scriptures touching 
Election. — For whom Christ died. — A Class and not Individuals 
elected. — Texts relied upon by Antinomians noticed. — Who are the 
Elect. — The Central Bible-Truth. — " Top-not come down." — The 
case of Jacob and Esau. — St. Paul and Pharaoh. — Temporary blind- 
ness. — The Potter and his Clay. — Origin of Election-dogma. — Inju- 
rious effects thereof, &c. 

TF we construe all that St. Paul said (and which has been 
-■- cited in the preceding pages, first in support of the affirm- 
ative, and last of the negative side of our question) as appli- 
cable to new creatures, we involve him in such inconsistency 
as cannot be reconciled. But if we read all his writings as 
relating to such as have lived and sinned before coming into 
this present life, we will find no discrepancy whatever in all 
we have of his writing. And the same is true of all the other 
sacred Scriptures. 

Take for illustration the two passages that follow : " For the 
Scripture saith unto Pharoah, Even for this same purpose have 
I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee," &c. 
(Rom. ix. 17). And this: "Jesus was made a little lower 
than the angels, that by the grace of God he should taste 
death for every man" (Heb. ii. 9). Did Jesus "taste death 
for" Pharaoh? Here appears to be a contradiction. But if we 
understand the writer of each text as having believed that 
Pharaoh was one of the most wicked, hardened, and impeni- 
tent sinners that was cast out of heaven with Satan, the diffi- 
culty all vanishes into nothing ; for in that view we would 
construe what is said about raising Pharaoh up for a specific 
purpose as meaning that God, knowing his evil nature, raised 
him up from his imprisonment in Tartarus, and put him upon 
the Egyptian throne, for the purpose of inflicting the proper 
chastisement on that wicked people for their cruel treatment 



PEACE ON EARTH. 141 



of the Israelites, through him as their stubborn and ungodly 
king. And that most assuredly is the true and the only satis- 
factory solution of the problem. The declaration that Jesus 
should "taste death for every man" is a positive one; and the 
only question which can properly be made upon it is one of 
credibility : Is that Scripture true ? If it stood alone, and 
were inconsistent with other passages, that question might 
with propriety be made. But that glorious affirmation is not 
only consistent with every other fact that is taught in the 
Bible, but it finds support in ' every other remark which can 
be found in God's Word on that sacred subject, when rightly 
understood ; and it is equally consistent with our best views 
of natural reason and of divine justice. 

The argument that is offered against that precious gospel 
truth is not only sophistical in itself, but it finds no counte- 
nance in the Scriptures, save such as palpable perversion and 
the most violent wresting can afford it. And yet it is held 
and insisted that if Christ died for all men, then all must be 
saved, or he died in vain as to the lost. But a sufficient reply 
could be made to that assumption, simply by saying that he 
did not die to save any particular individual, but to provide 
for the salvation of all who come to him penitent for sin as a 
class. His invitation is : " Come unto me, all ye that labor 
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 

It cost the Redeemer no more time, labor, nor suffering to 
make provision for all who are called than it would have cost 
him to provide only for those who do come and are saved by 
him, — the elect few. And yet by providing for all who would 
come to him, and inviting all to come who will, — as he did 
and does, — he cuts off all just ground of complaint on the 
part of those who neglect or refuse the proffered pardon and 
salvation. And at the same time he manifests the divine 
sympathy and tender mercy for all our race, and proves that 
" God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he that 
feareth him. and worheth righteousness is accepted of him." 

Let us now see whether there is any conflict between the 
texts cited on the opposing sides of our question, or whether 
there is any evidence contained in the Scriptures cited on the 



142 PEACE OX EARTH. 

part of the affirmation that God made his election of some to 
eternal life, and of others to death, regardless of what any one 
may desire or do while in this life. 

The first authority introduced by them consists of Eph. 
i. 4, 9, 11, which severally read as follows : " 4. According as 
he hath chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world, 
that we should be holy and without blame before him in love." 
Observe, first, that this epistle was addressed " to the saints 
which are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus," 
some of whom were Jews and others gentiles. That verse 
informs us that Jesus Christ and all of our race were in being 
before the world was made, — does it not ? Of course it does ; 
for it says that the Father " hath chosen us [Christians] in 
him [Christ] before the foundation of the world," &c. ; and 
that could not have been done if he and we were not then in 
being, could it ? But nothing is there said as to whether that 
choice was made with or without reference to what God fore- 
knew we would do while here. 

Their next authority is this : " 9. Having made known unto 
us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure 
which he hath purposed in himself." This does not in any 
way touch our question. 

Lastly, we have this : "11. In whom also we have obtained 
an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose 
of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own 
will." Here we learn that there was some sort of predestina- 
tion concerning us, yet we find no intimation that there was 
the least partiality exercised against any one, in selecting those 
destined to be saved or to be passed by. 

Then comes the following : " Moreover, whom he did pre- 
destinate, them he also called ; and whom he called, them he 
also justified ; and whom he justified, them he also glorified " 
(Rom. viii. 30). This letter was addressed to Christians also, 
thus : " To all that be in Rome, beloved of Grod, called to be 
saints" — of whom some were Jews and some Romans ; 
heathens, as considered by the former. In this verse it is 
not stated that none but those who were to be glorified were 
called ; and if we construe it as intending to say that they 



PEACE ON EARTH. 143 

were predestinated to eternal life, without regard to any fore- 
sight of faith or obedience on their part, we make the apostle 
contradict what he had already said in that letter about God 
being no respecter of persons, — that he will render to every 
man " according to his deeds," &c. 

To get the meaning of that verse we must first read the 
preceding one. Then we have substantially this : " For whom 
[God] did foreknow [would repent, &c], he also did pre- 
destinate," &c. ; " whom he did predestinate, them he also 
called," &c. "When the apostle wrote that chapter, he evi- 
dently had in his mind's eye the great purpose which moved 
the " Father of spirits " to the creation of this world and the 
redemption of the penitent lost. He foreknew who would and 
who would not repent, with the privilege intended to be offered 
in this life, although the offer was to be made to all alike ; 
and, therefore, those whom he foresaw would repent were and 
are the beneficiary objects in all this glorious work, — the 
" elect of God." Hence St. Paul says : " For whom he did 
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image 
of his Son, that he [the Son] might be the first born among 
many brethren " (that is, their Prince, Lord, and Saviour) ; 
and having many who, as his brethren, should be joint heirs 
with him to his kingdom of heavenly glory. And it is not 
alone true that all whom he foreknew would repent are called; 
but, as St. Paul elsewhere says, God not only calls but he 
commands " all men everywhere to repent, because he hath 
appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in 
righteousness," &c. (Acts xvii. 30, 31). And those who obey 
the call, and yield themselves perseveringly to the friendly 
influence of the Holy Spirit, are they who are sanctified and 
saved ; while all who reject the call and persistently refuse to 
obey the divine command, — "repent," &c, — are they whom 
God has predetermined " to pass by." And this is, in sub- 
stance, the convergent point, the central truth, the golden 
text, in which all the divine teachings meet and harmonize. 

Next to Rom. viii. 30, we are offered this : " Who hath 
saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to 
our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which 



144 PEACE ON EAETH. 



was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began " (2 Tim. 
i. 9). The meaning of this verse does seem too plain to 
admit of doubt, to any one who has read the twelfth chapter 
of Revelation. If we believe that the grace by which we have 
been or are to be saved " was given us " " before the world 
began," as this Scripture says it was, we must believe also 
that we were then subjects of God's mercy, and capable of 
receiving that precious gift ; neither of which could have been 
the case if we were not in existence at that time, — is not this 
true ? Then, whether we are of the fallen angels, or are 
newly created spirits, that grace which brought us here, " and 
called us with an holy calling " (to repentance and faith) 
after we came into this life, could not have been " according 
to our works," but must have been " according to his own 
purpose and grace." For if we are of those who were cast out 
of heaven with Satan for our sins, such grace, then, was " not 
according to our works," was it? And if we are new crea- 
tures, and were never in being before, we could not have done 
any sort of work prior to our birth, could we ? 

But we have not the least intimation that God does not 
offer that grace to every one who comes into the world, nor 
that he made his election without reference to any foresight 
on his part of what any of us would do or desire while here, — 
have we ? " For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to 
obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5, 9). 
The last remark above applies as well to this verse as to the 
preceding one ; and, therefore, with no more than the emphasis 
given the words " appointed us to death," we will pass on. 

We now come to the ingeniously patched-up and extraor- 
dinary bit of revelation (?) which was prepared in the most 
approved style of the art of creed-making from St. Paul's 
epistle to the Romans, — " Top-not come down ! " Here it is : 
" (For the children being not yet born, neither having done 
any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to elec- 
tion might stand; not of works, but of him that calleth). As 
it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. So 
then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, 
but of God that showeth mercy. Therefore hath he mercy on 



PEACE ON EARTH. 145 



whom lie will have mercy, and whom he will he harcleneth " 
(Rom. ix. 11, 13, 16, 18). 

Observe, first, that the above scraps are all taken from the 
same letter in which the following is found, a part which has 
been already, but not so fully, cited above : " Who [God] will 
render to every man according to his deeds ; to them who by 
patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honor and 
immortality, eternal life ; but unto them that are contentious, 
and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indigna- 
tion and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of 
man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the gentile ; 
but glory, honor, and peace to every man that worketh good, 
to the Jew first, and also to the gentile ; for there is no respect 
of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without 
law shall also perish without law ; and as many as have 
sinned in the law shall be judged by the law: (For not 
the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of 
the law shall be justified. For when the gentiles, which 
have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the 
law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves; 
which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their 
conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean- 
while accusing or else excusing one another). In the day 
when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, 
according to my gospel [that is, the gospel which he 
preached] " (Rom. ii. 6-16). 

The preceding remarks are not made up of garbled extracts ; 
but they. are copied here just as found in that letter, but itali- 
cised by myself. And these, with his other and similar re- 
marks, to be found in the first part of that epistle, should be 
considered as introductory to and explanatory of what he was 
preparing to say of the foreknowledge and eternal purposes of 
God concerning our race. 

There is something wrong in this matter, as all must see ; 
for the apostle is evidently misrepresented by one or the other 
party, or he is utterly inconsistent with himself in what he 
there wrote. But the fault is not to be traced to St. Paul : 
he knew whereof he wrote. And to every capable man and 

10 



146 PEACE ON EARTH. 

woman who will read, compare, and study not only all of that 
letter but all that we have from that inspired penman, as 
intended by him to instruct pre-existent spirits, while here 
on probation, in the way that leads to eternal life, and also of 
the other way which ends in death, — by every one who so 
reads, I say, it will be found that all he wrote is at once per- 
fectly consistent with itself, and plain and easy to understand. 
And it will furthermore be found, by all who so read, that it 
was likewise a leading desire on the part of the apostle at 
the same time to declare and defend the undying mercy and 
uniform justice of God in his dealings with all his rational 
creatures. 

A little further on we find these words : "But now the 
righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being wit- 
nessed by the law and the prophets ; even the righteousness 
of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon 
all them that believe ; for there is no difference, for all have 
sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified 
freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ 
Jesus, whom God hath set forth [fore-ordained] to be a pro- 
pitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteous- 
ness for the remission of sins that are past, through the 
forbearance of God : to declare, I say, at this time, his right- 
eousness ; that he might be just, and the justifier of him 
which believeth in Jesus " (Rom. iii. 21-26). 

Note his words : " There is no difference ; " " all have 
sinned;" "for the remission of sins that are past." What 
meaneth such language ? " Sin is the transgression of the 
law ; " " where no law is, there is no transgression." If in 
this life we have our first chance to sin, why is it said " there 
is no difference, all have sinned," and that the propitiation 
was made " for the remission of sins that are passed? " Would 
any man who had due respect for the truth, and who believed 
that this is our first real life, have said that I — or you, reader 
— " have sinned " near two thousand years before we were 
born ? Would he ? 

In that case, what law had or could we as individuals have 
transgressed ? Was there a law in force at the time of the 



PEACE ON EARTH. 147 

temptation and fall in Eden, that the children — all descend- 
ants ad infinitum — should be held accountable for the sins of 
their parents? If there was such law, it has not been re- 
vealed to us ; but it has been " kept secret from the founda- 
tion of the world." Certain it is that Ezekiel never heard 
of it : see the eighteenth chapter of his prophecy. Yet it is 
said (not by the Bible however) that our God will hold you 
and me, and all others of our day, to account for the sin of the 
father of our flesh in Eden, so far as to punish every one of 
us eternally in hell for it, who does not severally seek and 
find pardon for that sin while in this life ! Must not the 
judgment of intelligent and so-called educated ministers of 
the gospel be fearfully perverted, who so hold " and teach 
men so " ? Can such an one feel that he is honoring our 
benign Creator in so representing him to his rational creat- 
ures ? But these are merely side-bar remarks ; let us return 
to the matter before us. 

It would be sufficient for present purposes to say that there 
is no evidence contained in any of the above passages, as 
taken from the ninth of Romans, that the election therein 
spoken of was made " without any foresight of faith, or of good 
works, or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing 
in the creature as considerations or causes moving him [God] 
thereunto," as so held by the opposite party. But the case 
of Jacob and Esau, which is there relied upon to prove that 
God " is a respecter of persons " without regard to their con- 
duct, proves clearly that the Divine choice, in their case at 
least, was made with a full knowledge of the two men ; for 
it is there said that " the children being not yet born," had 
not (of course as . men) " done any good or evil." And it 
also proves that God " worketh all things after the counsel of 
his own will," and in such way as always to have " the right 
man in the right place " ; and yet so as to do no injustice to 
any one, but on the contrary to deal mercifully with all. The 
very fact that God manifested no partiality for Jacob (whom 
he had evidently chosen as his instrument by which to effect 
a very important purpose), but offered that boon to Esau in 
causing him to be the first-born, proves that he does work all 



148 PEACE ON EARTH. 

things in his own way, and that his uniformly is the best 
way. 

In that instance, Esau — the unsuccessful brother — had 
no cause of complaint on account of Jacob having been made 
the happy head of God's favored nation ; for he gave him the 
legal right of primogeniture, but Esau " despised his birth- 
right," and sold it to Jacob for a mess of pottage : and that 
he did at home, in his father's house, where there could have 
been no danger of starvation, nor of serious suffering for food. 
But he preferred the gratification of his sensual desire for 
one dish of that " savory pottage," right then, to the glorious 
heritage which God had proffered him ! Many such men 
have lived in all ages of the world, and now live, as the judg- 
ment will doubtless prove. 

After Esau had sold his birthright so freely though foolishly 
to his brother, and confirmed the title with an oath, he tried 
to defraud Jacob out of all the benefit of that right by pro- 
curing from their old, blind, and dying father the blessing 
which appertained to it; and, as it appears from the sacred 
history of that extraordinary family, he certainly would have 
succeeded in doing so, but for an ingenious artifice of their 
mother. She interfered — as in such cases mothers will — 
to protect her youngest and most deserving son in the enjoy- 
ment of that right which he esteemed so highly, but which 
Esau had " despised" and so ungratefully trifled away. In 
his after life, Jacob proved to be a devoutly pious man, a 
worthy successor to Abraham and Isaac in godliness, and fit 
to be called a patriarch of God's chosen people. Esau, on 
the other hand, became the father of the Edomites, whose 
once fair and fertile land now lies a dismal wilderness, under 
the righteous curse of God for the wickedness of that nation. 

The scheme which God had devised for our probation re- 
quired that two sons should be born to Isaac, and that they 
should be as different in their natures as were Jacob and 
Esau. One he wanted to become the head of the Israelites, 
and the other to head the Edomites. And well knowing the 
moral proclivities of each, "before the foundation of the 
world," they two were chosen ; and no doubt with a full 



PEACE ON EARTH. 149 



knowledge of precisely what each one of them would do in 
this life. In this view we can readily see what was intended 
by the remark, " Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated," 
— and whether made before their birth or after their death. 
It was the faith and obedience of Jacob that God loved, and 
the unbelief and wickedness of Esau that God hated ; all of 
which he clearly foresaw from the beginning. Christians 
ought not to believe, nor to teach, that God hates any of his 
own creatures without regard to their conduct, — should they ? 

The preceding is believed to be a sufficient reply to the 
argument sought to be drawn from the texts now under con- 
sideration, and which were offered as evidence to prove that 
the eternal future of all men was unconditionally fixed and 
settled before we were born. But it is due alike to the mem- 
ory of St. Paul and to the glorious cause of gospel truth, that 
another and equally satisfactory reply be made to that argu- 
ment. By turning to that chapter it will be found that the 
verse immediately succeeding that in which reference is 
made to what God said to Rebecca before her children were 
born, is this : " It was said to her, The elder shall serve the 
younger," — but which is there omitted, and the verse next 
below it is given, so as to represent the apostle as saying that 
God said to Rebecca, before her children were born, " As it 
is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." This 
last remark was not made to Rebecca at all (so far as the 
record shows), but it was made to Malachi, the last of the 
Old Testament prophets, and some thirteen hundred years 
(as it is generally believed) after both Jacob and Esau were 
dead, and all their works as men had passed before the all- 
seeing eye of an unerring Judge (see Gen. xxv. 23, and Mai. i. 
2, 3). In relation to this matter I will at present only fur- 
ther say, that we have in this case a fair example of the 
manner in which human creeds of religion are hatched and 
fostered. 

In the case of Jacob and Esau we are furnished with a 
beautiful illustration of the manner in which God orders his 
providences, so as to effect all his benevolent purposes con- 
cerning our sin-smitten race ; and by which means he so 



150 PEACE ON EARTH. 

manages as to deal kindly and impartially with all up to the 
time of repentance (by all who will repent), and throughout 
our several lives to deal with equal liberality and impartiality 
with all the penitent as a class, and with all the impenitent 
as another class : so that when we all meet at the judgment, 
and are all judged, and rewarded or punished, every man 
according to his works, there can be no complaint even by 
those who are finally lost. And furthermore, so that, as it 
will then appear to all, the mere fact that God foreknew from 
the beginning precisely who would repent and be converted, 
and who would not ; and the other fact that he did elect to 
eternal life all who would repent and keep the command- 
ments, and determine to reject all who would not do so, — 
can work no injustice to or hardship upon any one ; for, as 
far as we are concerned, the case of each one of us will then 
stand just as it would have stood if God had known no more of 
the result of our probation than we knew about that, on the 
day of our birth into this world. And a third fact — that 
before regeneration none of us can know whether we are of 
those who are to be saved or not — fnlly counterbalances and 
neutralizes the effect of the other two facts (as to the fore- 
knowledge of God, and who will and who will not accept 
salvation) ; for our conduct cannot be affected in any way 
by a Divine foreknowledge of things to come, but of which 
events we are totally ignorant. 

The sixteenth verse of that chapter is next presented : " So 
then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, 
but of God that showeth mercy." This needs no explana- 
tion ; for it is not pretended by the writer that we can save 
ourselves, either by a mere act of the will nor by our own 
good works ; but it is purely of divine grace that any of us 
are saved. 

And lastly we have this : " Therefore hath he mercy on 
whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth." 
This presents two questions : first, on whom is God pleased 
to have mercy? and last, who or what class of people is it 
that " he hardeneth f " Let that sainted apostle answer both 
of these questions for himself. In the preceding part of that 



PEACE ON EAKTH. 151 



epistle we have his answer to our first inquiry, where he says 
that God " will render to every man according to his deeds," 
&c, — Rom. ii. 6-16, which is fully copied above. Is it not 
amazing and equally painful that so great and good a man as 
St. Paul was, and who was so careful to explain his views so 
fully and clearly on all practical questions, as if possible to 
avoid all danger of misconception by any earnest inquirer for 
truth, should have been so wofully misunderstood ? He fre- 
quently refers to this subject, as he evidently esteemed it one 
of the first magnitude ; and in divers places and different 
forms he labored to make himself understood, as to the offices 
of faith and works, by all who regard the truth. But inas- 
much as the above extract from that one letter must be suffi- 
cient to satisfy all who want to know who or what class of 
people St. Paul has taught us to believe that God has predes- 
tinated to eternal life, we will pass on. 

Now let us see, on the other hand, who or what class of men 
it is said that God " hardeneth." In the very first of Romans 
we are informed that some people do not " like to retain the 
knowledge of God in their hearts," and that he gives such " over 
to a reprobate mind," &c. Does God harden such? Let us 
see. In 2 Thess. ii. 10, 11, 12, we learn that some " perish " 
"because they received not the love of the truth, that they 
might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them 
strong delusion, that they should believe a lie ; that they all 
might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure 
in unrighteousness." From this it appears that some persons, 
after having been brought to a knowledge of the truth, the 
manner of life we must live if we would be saved, love not 
that way of living ; but take " pleasure in unrighteousness," — 
prefer to walk the broad way that leads to death; "and for 
this cause " God sends them " strong delusion," &c. Are they 
not hardened, "their conscience seared [as] with a hot iron" 
(1 Tim. iv. 1, 2) ? And is not that done for a sufficient 
cause ? Here we may learn whom it is that God " hardeneth" 
and why they are hardened ; and that those who love not the 
truth after having been brought to a knowledge of it (con- 
verted?), but who still take pleasure in sin (little sins, of 



152 PEACE ON EARTH. 

course!), are they who are hardened; and it is done on that 
account. They are gone ! 

But in the abundance of caution let us hear the apostle 
further about that hardening process, and see whose fault it is 
that any are hardened. In Heb. iii. 12-15, we find solemn 
warnings like the following : " Take heed, brethren, lest there 
be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from 
the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is 
called to-day ; lest any of you be hardened through the deceit- 
fulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we 
hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end; 
while it is said, To-day, if ye will hea.r his voice, harden not 
your hearts" &c. Hence we learn that through " an evil 
heart of unbelief," and the " deceitfulness of sin," we may be 
hardened ; and we are exhorted not to harden our own hearts. 
Therefore we should conclude that whether it is said that we 
harden our own hearts, or that God hardens us, the same thing 
is intended ; and that in either case, if we are hardened at all, 
it is because we do not love the way of truth, but take plea- 
sure in sin. 

Hear what the wise king says on this subject. In Prov. 
xxviii. 14, xxix. 1, we find the following : " He that hardeneth 
his heart shall fall into mischief ; " again, " He that, being 
often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, 
and that without remedy." Solomon's view of the matter 
most assuredly was that, if a man's heart or his neck be hard- 
ened (which are but different forms of expressing the same 
condition), such hardening is his own fault, and therefore he 
is appropriately punished for it. And the case of the Egyp- 
tian king fully sustains him in his opinion. For Pharaoh was 
" often [and awfully] reproved ; " yet his heart, naturally 
hard, became harder still, as the Divine reproofs were repeated 
and intensified, and certain it is that he was suddenly " de- 
stroyed and that without remedy." And upon Pharaoh's 
case it may well be remarked further, that if the fault were 
not his, the punishment would not have been inflicted upon 
him as it was, — would it ? 

Mention is made both in the Old and New Testament Scrip- 



PEACE OX EARTH. 153 

tures, and often, of men becoming " hardened" " stiff-necked" 
" blinded," &c. ; and in some instances it is done in sucli way 
as to leave the impression on the reader's mind that God had 
caused them to become so " hard-hearted," &c, and in others 
that they had "hardened" their own hearts, &c. In Isaiah 
xlv. 6, 7, we find a key to the whole matter. God has there 
said : " I am the Lord, and there is none else ; I form the 
light, and create darkness ; I make peace and create evil ; I 
the Lord do all these things." So we see that God has taken 
to himself the responsibility of all that is done in heaven, 
earth, and hell. And, bearing this fact in mind, we find no 
difficulty in reconciling all that the Scriptures say about the 
hardening of hearts, &c, not only with one another, but with 
all that is said therein of the power, wisdom, omnipresence, 
goodness, and mercy of God. For, being the source of all 
power, God must of course do or permit all that is done ; and 
consequently it may properly be said of every thing that is 
done, that (in some sense) " this is the Lord's doing," although 
it may appear " marvellous in our eyes." To harmonize the 
Scriptures, if the thing done be an evil act, we must believe 
that God merely permitted the evil spirit — the enemy of God 
and man, Satan — to do it. 

Men often become hardened, blinded, tempted, to do evil, 
&c. But in such cases we have the following caution and 
instruction : " Let no man say, when he is tempted, I am 
tempted of God ; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither 
tempt eth he any man ; but every man is tempted, when he is 
drawn away of his own lusts and enticed." " Every good gift 
and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from 
the Father of Lights, with whom is no variableness, neither 
shadow of turning" (James i. 13, 14. 17). 

The blindness, hardness of heart, temptations to evil, &c, 
to which we are here subjected, all tend to lead us away from 
the narrow path that leads to life, and expose us to eternal 
death, and therefore must be classed with the evils of this 
life ; and hence we should consider them as the doings of the 
enemy, and as such strive to avoid them. For we are reliably 
informed that " The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, 



154 PEACE ON EARTH. 



as some men count slackness ; but is long-suffering to us-ward, 
not willing that any should perish, but that all should come 
to repentance." Again, and from the same: "Of a truth, I 
perceive that God is no respecter of persons ; but in every 
nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is 
accepted with him" (Acts x. 34, 35). And, lastly, let us 
again hear St. Paul, who was represented at Westminster as 
the apostle of fatalism ; though dead he still lives, and says : 
" But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the 
angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and 
honor ; that he, by the grace of God, should taste death for 
every man " (Heb. ii. 9). And the gainsaying world is chal- 
lenged to show that he (Paul) ever wrote a line which is 
not perfectly consistent with the last verse quoted from 
him. 

There are, however, certain facts, and particularly some cir- 
cumstances connected with the remarkable history of St. Paul, 
and some remarks made by him, which favor the belief that 
for special reasons God sometimes does, of his sovereign will, 
but partially and temporarily, blind the eyes and harden the 
hearts of men. The devotional nature of the apostle to the 
gentiles, his capacity to judge of men and things, his ardent 
love of truth and self-denying fidelity to her cause, as under- 
stood by him at the time, — when considered in connection 
with his opportunities to learn of the Messiahship of Jesus 
Christ, — all conspire to prove that his eyes were purposely 
blinded, and the truth withheld from him, to prevent his earlier 
conversion. For that, good and weighty reasons are now 
manifest to all who have made themselves acquainted with 
Bible history. God had special use for just such a man as he 
was ; " and in very deed for this cause " God " raised [him] 
up," as he did Pharaoh to the place for which the latter was as 
well adapted as St. Paul was for his office. Each of these 
extraordinary men exactly filled an important place, which 
God in his economy had need of a man to fill ; and just at the 
time and place where each was wanted, then and there he was 
found. And the most reasonable presumption is that both 
were benefited in some way by the employment to which 



PEACE ON EARTH. 155 

they were respectively assigned, — one in this and the other 
in the glory world. 

The remarks of St. Paul to which allusion was last above 
made are recorded in the eleventh chapter of Romans. He 
there says, among other things of like import, that : " Blind- 
ness [or hardness] in part is happened to Israel, until the 
fulness of the gentiles be come in ; and so all Israel shall be 
saved," &c. Note, he does not say that blindness is happened 
to the Jeivs, " in part," or altogether ; nor does he say that all 
Jews shall be saved ; but it was Israel that was in part (some 
of them) blinded, and it is Israel that he said should all be 
saved. By the term "Israel" he evidently intended such of 
the Jews as were ultimately brought to faith, repentance, and 
salvation in heaven, and who now constitute a part of the 
" Israel of God," — just as do such gentiles as were converted 
and saved. Many of those who were so blinded were, as we 
may reasonably believe, brought to light on the day of Pente- 
cost, soon after the crucifixion. If no special means had been 
employed to hinder or delay the faith of devout Jews who 
were then in Jerusalem, and many of whom had witnessed or 
been informed of the miracles wrought by Christ, could he 
have been crucified there ? Failing in that, he could not have 
fulfilled the mission on which he came, and the prophecies con- 
cerning him. And such temporary blindness on the part of 
such as he knew would believe and repent, and whom he fully 
intended to save on that account, could have proved of but 
little injury to them ; and it is more likely that it was made 
a means of their enhanced and eternal joy in heaven. Hence 
the divine prayer, " Father, forgive them ; for they know not 
what they do." 

Attention is now invited to Rom. ix. 21 : " Hath not the 
potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one 
vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor?" Of all the 
perversions and wrestings of Scripture which have yet been 
attempted to bolster up unreasonable, unscriptural, and soul- 
destroying human creeds of religion, few if any excel in reck- 
less mendacity the ungodly use which is made of this text. 
One who has sufficient regard for revealed truth to induce him 



156 PEACE ON EARTH. 



to read the preceding part of that letter, if no more, cannot 
fail to detect the sophistry which is perpetrated in the use 
that is made of it. For the construction that is put upon it 
in that confession (and in others of that sort) is in direct con- 
flict with all the hope-inspiring and love-giving instructions 
which are contained in that same letter ; and also with such 
assurances as the following : " As they did not like to retain 
God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate 
mind," &c. (i. 28) ; " Who [God] will render to every man 
according to his deeds" (ii. 6); to them that continue in well 
doing, &c, " eternal life," but unto them that do not obey the 
truth, but obey unrighteousness, " indignation and wrath," &c. 
(ii. 7, 8). Read the whole letter, and compare all its parts 
the one with the other, and you cannot fail to see the glaring 
injustice done its author. 

That epistle, as already observed, was addressed to all 
Christians then in Rome, some of whom before their conver- 
sion were Jews, and others gentiles. A leading purpose of 
the apostle appears to have been to declare the loving-kind- 
ness and universal goodness of God toward all men ; and at 
the same time to impress on the mind of his readers a true 
sense of his omnipotence, and of the equal but unyielding jus- 
tice, always tempered with mercy, which he does and will 
render to all. Wholesome wooings and warnings are like- 
wise given therein, alike to all classes both of Jews and 
gentiles. 

The thought contained in the verse before us seems to have 
been taken from Isaiah lxiv. 8 : "But now, O Lord, thou art 
our Father ; we are the clay and thou our potter ; and we all 
are the work of thy hand." The prophet and the apostle 
both fully recognize the unlimited power of God, and call 
attention to it not as a terror, but a source of comfort and 
encouragement, assuring us that he is not only willing but 
fully able to deliver and to save all who confide in and obey 
him. And each of them illustrates his conception of the 
Divine power over men by analogizing it to that which a 
potter has over his clay. The analogy is appropriate. But 
neither one of them seems to think, nor to fear, that because 



PEACE ON EARTH. 157 

God has as much power over his rational creatures (men 
and angels) as a potter has over his wares, that he will 
send nine-tenths of us, more or less, to hell (without regard 
to what any of us may do or desire), and simply because 
He could do it ! There is nothing in the language there 
used, either by Isaiah or Paul, which could, without violence 
to every established rule of construction, be construed as 
meaning that God will save a chosen few, and commit all 
others to hell, there to burn for ever, without regard to our 
conduct, "and all to the praise of his glorious grace/" — is 
there ? 

There is one view of the matter, and but one, in which we 
can conceive of the reason why any one ever so understood 
that Scripture ; and that is to be found in the hypothesis that 
those who so construe it believe that God derives his chief 
pleasure from witnessing the miseries of his creatures ! If 
there is any other solution of the problem, what is it ? If that 
opinion as to the nature of our Creator were true, then we 
could understand how the preservation of any one from the 
common purpose of our creation is to " the praise of his glo- 
rious grace ; " and how the salvation of each man (or angel) 
so spared, and therefore of the highly favored few, will for 
ever stand as so many monuments " to the praise of his glori- 
ous grace." For if such were the nature of the omnipotent 
Creator of the universe, and had he consulted his own prefer- 
ence alone, he would have had the gratification (!) of seeing 
all his rational creatures writhe and scream and burn in the 
flames of torment for ever, but for the amazing " grace " (as 
it would have been in that case) which was extended to those 
who are spared that horrid doom. 

But where is the professing Christian who will admit that 
he believes the God who made us is capable of enjoying such 
fiendish pleasure ? If you are not willing to confess that you 
entertain that sort of opinion of your Maker, my predesti- 
narian friend, let me beg you, for God's sake, to pause and 
review the evidence upon which your faith is based, and 
reflect, as for eternity, upon the legitimate tendencies of your 
teaching ; for that such is the logical sequence of your doc- 



158 PEACE ON EARTH. 



trine of unconditional Election and Reprobation is palpable to 
every unprejudiced mind. 

If you are right in saying that "some men and angels are 
predestinated unto everlasting life, and others foreordained to 
everlasting death," without regard to any foresight of faith, 
" or any other thing in the creature as conditions or causes 
moving him [God] thereunto " (as it is affirmed in the third 
chapter of that confession) ; and if God has unlimited power 
over his creatures, and foreknew what would be the final 
destiny of each and every one when he made us (as he cer- 
tainly has and did), — then the conclusion is irresistible that 
he made each one for the purpose, and with the desire and in- 
tention, that we should each fill the place here that we do fill, 
and occupy the eternal home that we will occupy. Is not this 
true ? And hence, if God made us at all, — as it is agreed 
that he did, — he made all who will ultimately find their home 
in hell for the express purpose of sending them adrift, with "the 
Devil and his angels," down to the depths of that burning 
abyss ! — did he not ? 

If that be the case, is there not some mistake in regard 
to the unfriendly relations which are supposed to exist 
between God and the Devil ? Nothing is more clear than 
that, if but comparatively few of our race are to be saved, as 
all who trust in the Bible (Universalists only excepted) be- 
lieve is and will be the case : and if all but the elect few of 
the innumerable hosts of eternal spirits which have lived here, 
died and gone to that bad world, from the creation up to the 
present time — all who are now here, and all who may come 
after us — were made expressty for the Devil (and he appears 
anxious to get all he can of us), — the indications are strong 
that God is aiding and assisting Satan in his efforts to peo- 
ple his dominions, as none but a friend will aid and assist 
another. 

My Christian friend, if you will examine your favorite 
doctrine of Election and Reprobation carefully, you will find 
that it is far more complimentary to the Devil than it is to 
our Creator. Because it represents our merciful God as hav- 
ing unconditionally appointed and unalterably confirmed the 



PEACE OX EARTH. 159 



eternal destiny of all men (and of angels too !) " before the 
foundation of the world," and the Devil as merely, and as 
with lamb-like innocence, accepting those whom God sees fit 
to give him ! And in that way all the responsibility of caus- 
ing the damnation of all who will finally be lost is adroitly 
made to rest upon our Maker ; and the Devil, and all wicked 
and ungodly angels and men, are in that way fully relieved 
from all just cause of complaint in the matter ! Is there any 
way of escape from this conclusion ? I think there is not. 
And therefore we are bound to believe that dogma to have 
been an ingenious device of the Devil; and that his purpose 
therein was to dishonor God, and thereby to alienate the 
affections of his intelligent creatures from him; and so to 
deceive men, put them off their guard, and cheat them out of 
all the benefit which they could and otherwise would have 
realized from the atonement of Jesus Christ. 

Abundant and conclusive reasons could be given for believ- 
ing that the predestinarian creed of faith, as hitherto held 
and taught, is an invention of Satan ; but it cannot be neces- 
sary to notice here but a few of them, each of which however 
will be found hard to answer, should any advocate of that 
theory assume such task. The first is, because " that form 
of doctrine" was not derived from the Word of God, and 
cannot be sustained by that Word, as has already been shown. 
Second, because, if the Devil is entitled to the credit for 
shrewdness which the Bible gives him, he is capable of per- 
petrating just such tricks upon the more confiding class of 
people. And, lastly, because that belief can do the cause of 
Jesus Christ no possible good, while it is of incalculable ser- 
vice to Satan. Each party, being fully competent to produce 
his own creed of faith, the logical conclusion is that every 
creed is the production of that party whose purpose it best 
serves. 

And with the hope that the indulgent reader will pardon 
the further digression, and while the subject of creed-making 
is before us, I will further remark, that if God has never 
made but one creed of faith for his people (and we have no 
knowledge of any other), and if all the others have proved 



160 PEACE ON EARTH. 



more valuable to the enemy than to him (as it is insisted 
that they have), then the same course of reasoning will bring 
us to the conclusion that the Devil is the author of all our 
creeds of religion but one., — will it not? In this view of 
the matter, would it not be better for each one of us to com- 
pare all our creeds with one another (the one found in the 
Bible included), and then select from the mass the one 
that looks most like God's work, and adopt that one for our 
guide through this wilderness of sin, and then reject all the 
others ? 

There remains but one other passage of Scripture to which 
it is thought worth while to call attention in this connection ; 
and it is this : "At that time Jesus answered and said, I 
thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because 
thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and 
hast revealed them unto babes. Even so Father, for so it 
seemed good in thy sight " (Matt. xi. 25, 26). To one of the 
uninitiated, it might and doubtless would prove a puzzle to 
determine what bearing this text has on the doctrine of Elec- 
tion, or why it is given as one favoring the predestinarian 
belief ; but having been educated in that faith, and long held 
with that party, as before stated, the writer well understands 
the reason why it was put there, and the use which is made 
of it. 

For it is the prevailing opinion with predestinarians that 
there is a Divine mystery concealed in that faith, — a sort of 
family secret ; that none can fully comprehend the mystery, 
nor will any accept that belief, but those to whom it is spe- 
cially revealed by the Holy Spirit. Hence the stubborn per- 
sistence with which those who embrace that faith cling to it. 
That text was therefore adduced to remind the " elect " of 
the high and peculiarly favorable estimation in which they 
are held by the Saviour ; and they are taught to believe that 
they are the " babes " unto whom God was pleased to reveal 
" these things," and to rejoice that they are " hid " from the 
" wise and prudent," and reserved alone for their own dear 
selves ! Here we see the imprint of the cloven foot, as dis- 
tinctly as it was made in Eden. There as here the pride, 



PEACE OX EARTH. 161 



vanity, and selfishness of our nature were successfully invoked 
to the deceiver's aid ; and, which is still worse in this instance, 
the prejudices which the poor and ignorant so generally enter- 
tain against the rich, educated, or otherwise more successful 
in the race of life are likewise brought to the deceiver's help. 
That is done simply by treating the words " wise and pru- 
dent " as equivalent to wise and learned, or great. 

On reading the context from which that text was taken, it 
will be found that the Saviour intended, by the use made of 
the term " babes," to remind his disciples of the all important 
fact that child-like faith and humility are necessary to salva- 
tion, and of which and on other occasions he frequently in- 
formed them ; as, for instance, when he said, " Suffer little 
children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is 
the kingdom of God ; " again, " Except ye be converted and 
become as a little child, ye shall not enter into the kingdom 
of heaven." Little children are earnest, simple, and confid- 
ing, ready to hear and believe just what their parents tell 
them, and to rely upon what they say. And so must our 
relations become toward our Father and his Christ, or we 
cannot " enter the kingdom of heaven." There is neither 
m3 r stery nor election concealed in or taught by that text, 
except that sort of election which the Bible everywhere 
teaches ; namely, that all who will become and continue as 
little children before God will be saved, and that those who 
will not so become and continue must be lost. That is all 
of it. 

With those who become fully imbued with the doctrine of 
absolute, unconditional, and certain election and reprobation, 
that is cherished as beyond comparison the dearest item of 
their faith. And they not unfrequently get offended with 
those who attempt to reason with them against it. This is 
particularly true of the bigoted and ignorant, whether they 
profess to be Christians or not. That is a natural result from 
the quiet of mind and ease of conscience which it affords them. 
And it may be the case that many who are far gone in the 
slough of infidelity, but whose minds are not fully at rest on 
that fearful subject, find some sweet relief from disquieting 

11 



162 PEACE ON EARTH. 



fears that there may be a God and a future life, in the fact 
that many learned and good people who believe the Bible hold 
and teach that nothing we can do in this life will in the least 
affect our future condition. And relying upon that delusion 
as an additional chance for future safety, they live the life 
that pleases them most. 

In many instances, Christians of that faith bring themselves 
fully to believe that any other view of the atonement is dis- 
honoring to God. They insist that God's law is immutable, 
and therefore the salvation or reprobation of every one must 
have been unconditionally fixed and settled from the begin- 
ning. And, moreover, they hold that if the scheme of re- 
demption requires us to do any of the work necessary to 
secure our salvation, God is thereby deprived of his glory to 
that extent. And in this instance, so far as the immutability 
of God's law is concerned, they are as usual about half right. 
For God's law is unchangeable ; but the question is, what is 
that law ? Is it that A shall be saved, and that B shall be 
lost? Or is it that all who believe, repent, and keep the 
commandments shall be saved, and that all who refuse so to 
do shall be damned? It is most assuredly true that God's 
law is an unchangeable rule of action, and in all cases ; but 
it is that rule (or system of rules rather) by which he has 
determined fairly and sufficiently to try, prove, judge, and 
reward or punish every one of us by and according to our 
works. Is there any thing wrong in that ? 

It may have been and doubtless was necessary that God 
should "try them that dwell upon the earth" in some such 
way, with a view to our fitness or unfitness for pardon : and 
for the twofold purpose of justifying himself before his stead- 
fast and holy angels, in restoring any of us to the Divine 
favor and sacred presence, and to their society ; and at the 
same time to satisfy those who will finally be lost that no 
partiality had been shown, nor favoritism practised, for the 
redeemed or against them ; but that all had a fair trial, and 
equally liberal offer of pardon, and that their horrid doom is 
attributable alone to their own persistence in evil doing. 
Was it not this desire on the part of our indulgent Father 



PEACE OX EARTH. 163 

to justify himself before his holy angels (" that he might be 
[considered] just, and the justifier of him which believeth in 
Jesus "), which St. Paul had on his mind when he wrote the 
third chapter of Romans ? Read that whole chapter. 

But to return. As long as the ultra predestinarian stands 
firmly on his faith, he feels entirely safe as to the future ; for 
it is a part (and the worst part) of that system of belief, that 
the grace is given to none but the elect fully to comprehend 
the mystery therein contained, nor to embrace that which 
many insist is " the faith which was once delivered unto the 
saints " ! And, in that way, the mere fact that one so believes 
affords sufficient evidence for him or her that he or she is one 
of the elect, the highly favored few ; and that God will, at 
his own good time and in his own way, call and qualify him 
or her for a happy home in heaven. The warning to all is, 
"Be not wise in your own conceits ; " yet many an ungodly 
sinner there finds a ready and effectual panacea for all the 
wounds which the Holy Spirit may inflict upon his torpid 
soul. And, as there need be no doubt, many on that account 
are ultimately given up to "believe a lie " (what lie?), that 
they all may be damned who loved not the truth, " but had 
pleasure in unrighteousness." Oh, wretched delusion ! bane 
of the Devil ! feeder of hell ! 

It is not pretended, however, that all who hold the Calvin- 
istic faith are on their way to Satan's home. Far from it ! 
For, as already remarked, good men are deceived in such 
matters as well as bad ones. None of us are entirely free 
from the insinuating and deceptive approaches of the enemy, 
w T hile here as men. And it is furthermore true, as I con- 
fidently believe, that many of all classes of people, even min- 
isters of the gospel, and who are not only pious and faithful 
Christians, but some who are considered by themselves and 
others too as being able and learned divines, so hold and 
teach. 

The difficulty with such teachers is that they have given 
too much time and labor to the study of their sectarian text- 
books, and have devoted too little of either to the earnest, 
unbiassed, and prayerful search of the sacred oracles for divine 



164 PEACE ON EARTH. 

truth. And should these pages pass under the eye of such 
an one, he is affectionately requested and respectfully urged 
by a friend to read 1 Cor. iii. 8-15 inclusive ; and then to go 
back, and in all seriousness do that which should have been 
his first and chief not to say his sole work, when preparing 
for the solemn duties incident to his " high calling." 



PEACE ON EARTH. 165 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Perseverance of the Saints. — Apostasy. — A free Fight. — The unpar- 
donable Sin. — Of Heathen. — Infants, how saved. 

r*HE doctrines of the " perseverance of the saints," and of 
-*■ the possibility of one who has been regenerated aposta- 
tizing, — falling away and being ultimately lost, — are insep- 
arably connected with those of " election" and the freedom of 
the will. And these questions are as much affected by the 
preliminary one, " What is man?" as are any others. And 
when the several texts of Scripture o-n which disputants, who 
favor election, &c, are considered as having been applied by 
the sacred writers to pre-existent spirits (as was evidently 
intended by them), all doubt in regard to these questions will 
likewise vanish from the candid mind, as the darkness of night 
recedes before the golden rays of the rising sun. 

It is not thought best, therefore, to treat of these points at 
any considerable length, in a merely suggestive work like this. 
For if we are fallen angels, and are brought here for the pur- 
pose of trying and proving us, with a view to restoring all 
who may prove worthy of that grace to the Divine favor, and 
of sending all others on to that place which was " prepared 
for the devil and his angels," — the term of probation must 
last with this life, if no unpardonable sin be committed earlier. 
u And if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, 
in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be." 

In that view of our nature and of the cause of our being 
here, we must believe that this life is a warfare ; that there 
are but two contending armies ; that we are all necessarily 
and continually engaged in the war, on one side or the other ; 
and that it is a free fight, one in which every one is at liberty 
to take choice of sides, and to fight under the banner of Jesus 
Christ, or of Satan, whichever each may like the best. 



166 PEACE ON EARTH. 



We bring our depraved nature with us into this life, how- 
ever, and therefore we grow up and mature in the service of 
Satan, unless we repent and go over to the other side before 
our majority. That any one may do, with the Divine aid, 
after reaching the age of discretion. But all who join the 
army of the Lord must do so under the terms prescribed ; 
namely, that they agree to continue with him during life, and 
strictly to obey the rules and regulations provided for the 
government of his soldiers. That service being purely volun- 
tary, however, no one is required to remain in the army of 
Jesus Christ any longer than he is satisfied and may desire to 
stay with him ; but each has the privilege to leave his service 
at any time, and return to his old comrades at pleasure. 

But all who have been accepted into the army of Jesus Christ 
are warned (Gal. vi. 7-9) that they " Be not deceived ; G-od is 
not mocked ; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also 
reap. For he that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap 
corruption ; but he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the 
Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well 
doing ; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." (But 
if we faint, how will it be with us then ?) So we see that, 
although God is very kind and indulgent toward our sinful 
race, there is a point beyond which if we go we cannot return. 
" God is not mocked," as he would be if we were indulged in 
a whimsical desire to change sides as often as the moon changes 
her phases. 

" And the Lord said, My Spirit shall not always strive with 
man." How can that be true, if we are allowed to abandon 
the cause of Christ at will, go over to the army of the enemy 
at pleasure, and yet the Holy Spirit should pursue, entreat, 
and bring us back ? We are subject to the temptations of the 
Devil as long as we continue in this life. But St. Paul 
assures us (1 Cor. x. 13) that God will not suffer us to be 
tempted above that we are able to bear. And hence we must 
" watch and be sober." St. Peter exhorted his hearers : " Save 
yourselves from this untoward generation" (Acts ii. 40). Then 
we have something to do. For we have no promise of more 
than one probation, one regeneration, one redemption. 



PEACE ON EARTH. 167 

We will now notice the leading texts upon which the belief 
is founded that there is no danger of one who has been truly 
converted to God, — "born again" — apostatizing and being 
finally lost. Inasmuch as nothing like an argument of this 
question will be attempted here, and no more will be offered 
than a few suggestive thoughts as we pass over the several 
passages of Scripture, the suggestions intended will be made 
in most cases by adding such words — as each text is copied 
below — as may be deemed necessary to indicate the true 
meaning of each when read by itself ; and such words will be 
included in brackets and printed in italic letters, so as to 
designate them clearly from the words used by the translators 
to give the meaning of the original writings. This the trans- 
lators frequently did themselves, but sometimes omitted, as is 
well known to all well-informed readers. 

And here are the authorities : 1 Phil. i. 6, " Being confident 
of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in 
you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ [if you prove 
' faithful unto death']." John x. 28, 29, "And I give unto 
them [unto whom?] eternal life; and they [who?] shall never 
perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand [of 
course not]. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than 
all [is he?] ; and no man is able to pluck them out of my 
Father's hand." No Christian will doubt that ; and both of 
these passages are not only very encouraging, but easy to 
understand. Next we find this, from Rom. viii. 38, 39 : " For 
I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels [evil 
spirits], nor principalities [of Satan], nor powers [of men nor 
devils], nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor 
depth, nor any other [evil] creature, shall be able to separate 
us from the love of God [or Grod's love], which is [given us] 
in Christ Jesus our Lord." In that the apostle intended to 
comfort his readers, by giving them the most positive assur- 
ance that God will prove faithful to all who love and obey 
him ; and that no adverse power would be able to separate 
them from his loving kindness as long as they continued stead- 
fast in their devotions to him. And to get his true meaning, 
it is only necessary to add to the last verse above quoted the 



168 PEACE ON EARTH. 



three little words, against our will. In his immediately pre- 
ceding remarks, the apostle had asked these questions : " If 
God be for us, who can be [prevail] against us ? " and " Who 
shall separate us from the love of Christ ? " In these ques- 
tions, the idea of some intervening power between us and our 
God is clearly intimated, is it not ? It is not said that we 
cannot separate ourselves from the love of God ; nor did he 
say that " an evil heart of unbelief '" would not " be able to sep- 
arate [any one] from the love of God," did he ? 

That such is the proper construction of that Scripture is too 
clear to admit of doubt. For to construe it as do the advo- 
cates of unconditional perseverance of all who are called, or 
who enter the service of God, would render absolutely nuga- 
tory all such remarks of the same inspired writer as the fol- 
lowing : " But Christ as a Son over his own house ; whose 
house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing 
of the hope firm unto the end." Why is the " if " there ? 
" Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil 
heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God." Did 
not the apostle think there was danger of such " departing " ? 
" But exhort one another daily, while it is called to-day ; lest 
any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For 
we are made partakers of Christ [or with him] if we hold the 
beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end " (Heb. iii. 
6, 12-14). Remember that all this counsel and warning was 
given to and for the benefit of Christians. Where is the 
necessity of any thing of that sort, if Christians may not 
apostatize ? 

But again, the apostle says : " I keep under my body [con- 
trol my evil nature], and bring it into subjection ; lest that by 
any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should 
be a cast-away" (1 Cor. ix. 27). Did St. Paul think it im- 
possible that he might fall away, and be lost ? " Wherefore, 
let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall " 
(1 Cor. x. 12). Did he not only believe that there is danger 
of apostasy, but that some deceive themselves upon that sub- 
ject? "Let us labor, therefore, to enter into that rest, lest 
any man fall after the same example of unbelief " (Heb. iv. 



PEACE OX EARTH. 169 



11). " Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, im- 
movable, always abounding in the work of the Lord" (1 Cor. 
xv. 58). "And let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due 
season we shall reap, if we faint not" (Gal. vi. 9). "What- 
soever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of 
the Lord" (Eph. vi. 8). Did the apostle intend to deceive 
us ? Who will say that he did ? 

The above are comparatively but a few of the evidences 
which St. Paul has left us of his belief in regard to the danger 
of Christians falling away from the love and service of God, 
and going back to the service of the Devil ; but they are con- 
sidered sufficient for present purposes. On that question, as well 
as on the kindred one of absolute election of certain persons 
and reprobation of others, there can be no necessity for doing 
more than to present his (St. Paul's) position correctly before 
the Christian world ; for when we look into the teaching of 
the Saviour as recorded, and of every other sacred writer who 
has touched the subject, we find him and all of them too clear 
to admit of doubt. And they all concur fully with St. Paul on 
these points, as well as upon every thing else that is revealed 
in the Bible. 

As elsewhere remarked, the apostle to the gentiles wrote 
with a full knowledge of our origin and nature. He also duly 
appreciated the wisdom, power, and goodness of God "to us- 
ward." And in his efforts to impress upon his readers a true 
sense of that wisdom, power, and goodness, and the success of 
all the Divine plans and dealings with all his rational creat- 
ures, and to do that without using " words which it is not 
[was not] lawful for a man to utter," — he, in the language of 
St. Peter, said " some things hard to be understood, which 
they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also 
the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction." 

It appears that Peter was well aware of the fact that Paul 
was more fully informed in relation to " the mystery which 
was kept secret since the world began," than were any other 
of the apostles at that time. See 2 Pet. iii. 15, 16 ; Rom. xvi. 
25, and 2 Cor. xii. 1-7. 

For the purpose of removing any lingering doubt which 



170 PEACE ON EARTH. 



may afflict the reader's mind as to whether a Christian may 
apostatize, we will now look into what is said by the Saviour 
(and by others) about the unpardonable sin. He has said 
that " All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven 
unto men ; but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall 
not be forgiven unto men " (Matt. xii. 31 ; Mark iii. 28, 29 ; 
Luke xii. 10). What is that unpardonable sin? St. John 
says : " If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not 
unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them 
that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death ; I do not 
say that he shall pray for it [or for one who commits that 
sin]." Again, what is that " sin unto death "? Let us first 
see what St. Paul has said in regard to it. He says : " It is 
impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have 
tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the 
Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the 
powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew 
them again unto repentance ; seeing they crucify to them- 
selves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." 
" For if we sin wilfully, after that we have received the 
knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for 
sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery 
indignation, which shall devour the adversaries " (Heb. vi. 
4-6, and x. 26, 27). We will next hear St. Peter on this 
fearful subject. He says of those " cursed children, which 
have forsaken the right way," &c, " If, after they have escaped 
the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the 
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled 
therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than 
the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have 
known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known 
it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 
But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, 
The dog is turned to his own vomit again ; and the sow that 
was washed, to her wallowing in the mire " (2 Pet. ii. 14, 15, 
20-22). 

The Saviour calls the sin, which shall not be forgiven, 
" blasphemy against the Holy Ghost." But what is that 



PEACE ON EARTH. 171 



" blasphemy " ? From what is said of it in the gospel, as I 
understand it, the unpardonable sin consists of such words or 
acts as manifest a disregard for, contempt of, contumely, and, 
hence, " blasphemy against the Holy Ghost." And that 
blasphemous contumacy is evinced by disrespect for, trifling 
with, resistance of, and persistent refusal to obey the timely 
warnings and affectionate invitations which the Holy Spirit 
of Almighty God freely gives to fallen man. " My spirit 
shall not always strive with man," saith Jehovah ! 

It is the office of the Holy Ghost to teach, woo, and warn 
probationers in this life ; to teach them the way that leads to 
heaven ; to woo and entreat them to walk in that way, and 
to warn them of death, the judgment, and of an eternal hell. 
" How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? " 
To say nothing of the blasphemy which is involved in a stub- 
born, contumacious refusal to accept the kind invitations of 
the Holy Spirit, we cannot escape the doom of the damned, 
if we so much as neglect the proffered salvation ! 

" The Holy Ghost saith, To-day, if ye will hear his voice, 
harden not your hearts." If when the sinner hears the voice 
of the Holy Ghost saying, " return unto the Lord, and he will 
have mercy upon you," &c, he hardens his heart and refuses 
to obey the Divine call, does he not sin ? And should he 
persistently neglect or refuse to obey his invitations, and to 
heed his warnings until the Holy Spirit shall cease longer to 
strive with him, will that sin (of rejecting all such invitations) 
ever be forgiven him? Certainly it will not. Here, then, we 
find one sin that will not be forgiven. And we have the 
assurance of the Saviour that every sin of man may be for- 
given but one. Then we must conclude that we have found 
the unpardonable sin. 

Stephen, the martyr, in his defence, chided his murderers 
thus : " Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, 
ye do always resist the Holy Ghost ; as your fathers did, so do 
ye." For their resistance of the Holy Ghost many of their 
fathers fell in the wilderness. Many of them, as it is most 
likely, had grown up, lived on, and died resisting the friendly 
admonitions of the Holy Ghost. Is not the sin of resisting 



172 PEACE ON EARTH. 



the saving influence of the Holy Spirit the most common as 
well as the most damning sin known to this life ? And would 
it not be safe to say that all men will be saved who have not 
persisted in that one sin ? I think that the only sin that kills 
the soul ; but " he that being often reproved hardeneth his 
neck, shall be suddenly destroyed, and that without remedy ! " 

The main question now before us is, however, Can one who 
has been converted — become a Christian — commit that or 
any other sin : fall away and finally be lost ? And the proper 
answer to that question depends largely (but not entirely) 
upon another ; namely, Are those who have been so " born 
again " included in the above quotations from the apostles 
Paul and Peter? The remarks of the former are applied by 
him to those who have been " enlightened," " have tasted the 
heavenly gift," "were made partakers of the Holy Ghost," 
"have tasted the good word of God," &c. And St. Peter 
calls those intended by him " cursed children, which have for- 
saken the right way, and are gone astray," &c. ; and says that 
if " after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through 
the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they 
are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is 
worse with them than the beginning," &c. 

Do not each of these apostles describe those whom we now 
call Christians with unerring certainty? All people are di- 
vided into two classes, — servants of God and servants of the 
Devil. Now ask yourself, reader, do the descriptive words 
used by them apply better to Christians, or to unwashed sin- 
ners? But it may be asked, If they intended their remarks 
to apply to Christians, why did they not make short work of 
it, and call them " Christians " at once? To that question 
the answer is easy and satisfactory: the term "Christian" 
was not in common use in their time. It appears to have 
been used but three times in the whole Bible : but once by 
St. Peter ; and never, in all his writings, did St. Paul (as it 
is believed) use it at all. If they had called those of whom 
they were writing " Christians," but few readers of their age 
would have known what they meant by that term. They 
had no name nor word by which to identify such persons as 



PEACE ON EARTH. 173 



are now called Christians. And therefore when they had 
occasion to speak or write about Christians, the best they 
could do was to describe them. 

And did they not describe them well, in the language em- 
ployed by each of them, in the above quotations ? Or do the 
words of description there found apply better to hard-hearted, 
impenitent sinners? Every reader is left to answer these 
questions in his own way. 

The testimony of the apostles Paul and Peter, which has 
already been offered, is thought sufficient to satisfy all (who 
really want to know the truth of this matter, and who believe 
the witnesses) that a Christian may go back to the service of 
Satan, provided they think their remarks as quoted above 
were intended to apply to such persons, — of which but little 
if any room for doubt is left. We will therefore pursue this 
branch of our subject no further than to call attention to a 
few other passages of Scripture, to show that they did intend 
to be understood as speaking of such persons as are now 
called Christians. 

In warning his disciples of the hardships, besetments, and 
temptations which awaited them, the Saviour also encouraged 
them by saying, " But he that endureth to the end shall be 
saved " (Matt. x. 22 ; see also ibid. xxiv. 12, 13, and xxv. 
31-46, as to conditional salvation). Of course his disciples 
understood him as saying that their eternal future depended 
upon their perseverance in well-doing while here (see further, 
Luke xii. 41-48). Jesus likewise said to them: "If thou 
wilt enter into life, keep the commandments " (Matt. xix. 17). 
Would the Redeemer have given his disciples such warnings 
if their salvation had already been fixed and settled beyond 
all doubt or contingency ? 

When speaking of the mission of Jesus Christ, and of the 
opposition which he met, St. John says : " But as many as 
received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of 
God" (John i. 12). " Poiver to become the sons of G-od" is 
that which, as St. John says, the Saviour gives to those who 
come to him ; but it is nowhere said in the Bible that Christ 
will drag any one back to heaven nolens volens ! Nothing 



174 PEACE ON EARTH. 



like that, there, is there? Nor is it said or taught in that 
holy Book that our Saviour will retain any man in his service 
longer than he wants to continue with him. Those who 
would become or continue his people must be "a willing 
people." 

In the case of Jezebel, we have an instance in which a sin- 
ner had passed the day of grace while yet in life and a 
wretched evil doer (Rev. ii. 20-22). And, a little further on, 
Christians have one of the sweetest promises which is any- 
where given them ; but it is coupled with sufficient and better 
warning, that they are not out of danger as long as they re- 
main within the tempter's reach. There the Son says : " He 
that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment ; 
and I will not blot his name out of the book of life, but I 
will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. 
He that hath an ear, let him hear," &c. (Rev. iii. 5, 6). 

Moses on an alarming occasion besought the Lord to pardon 
the sin of " his chosen people." " And the Lord said unto 
Moses, Whosoever has sinned against me [meaning in that 
matter], him will I blot out of my book " (Exod. xxxii. 30-33). 
So we see that some names have been or will be blotted out 
of God's book. Are they not names that were written in 
" the book of life " ? Such must be the case ; for there is but 
one other set of books to be used at the Judgment as far as 
we are informed, and the dead are to be " judged out of those 
things which are written in the books, according to their 
works " (Rev. xx. 12). And who would object to having his 
name " blotted out of " those books ? 

With one other quotation from St. Paul we will pass on ; 
which is this : " Finally, my brethren [Christians, were they 
not ?] , be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 
Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand 
against the wiles of the Devil. For we wrestle not against 
flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, 
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spirit- 
ual wickedness in high [or heavenly] places. Wherefore, 
take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to 
withstand in the evil day; and, having done all, to stand." 



PEACE ON EARTH. 175 



(Eph. vi. 10-13.) " Little children, let no man deceive you " 
(St. John) ! 

But all such evidence and authorities are deftly answered 
by the advocates of unconditional election and reprobation 
(and satisfactorily to themselves " no doubt "), by reference 
to the following text : " They went out from us, but they 
were not of us ; for if they had been of us, they would no 
doubt have continued with us : but they went out that they 
might be made manifest that they were not all of us " (1 John 
ii. 19). Observe, first, the words italicized are not in the 
original, but were supplied by the translators to give the 
meaning as they understood it. The first two, " no doubt" 
add nothing to the sense, and might as well be omitted in 
reading it ; the last three words supplied — namely, " they 
went out " — may have been introduced under a misapprehen- 
sion of the facts; for they may have been sent out, "that 
they might be made manifest," &c. Would not that be the 
better rendering of the two ? 

But be all that as it may, it is certain that a more unjusti- 
fiable, bald-headed perversion of Scripture would be hard to 
find, in all the unhappy and unholy disputations among Chris- 
tians which Satan has fomented, than we have in the stereo- 
typed use which is made of that text. Hard run for proof 
must partisans be, when they resort to such misrepresentations 
of the plainest sacred writings. All the reply which need be 
made to the argument which is sought to be educed from that 
verse, is to call the reader's attention to the preceding one, 
which is this : " Little children, it is the last time ; and as ye 
have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there 
many antichrists ; whereby we know that it is the last time." 
In this the apostle informs us that those who went out (or 
rather ivere sent out) from the society, companionship, of the 
disciples were antichrists, — the enemies of Christ and of his 
people. And from the two verses together we learn who 
they were that left the following of the disciples, and why 
they did so. 

And observe, in the next place, that our question is whether 
one who is now a Christian, may apostatize, and finally be 



176 PEACE ON EARTH. 



lost ? And the passage before us does not touch that question. 
We learn from it that about that time evil men, who haying 
been with, " went out from " the disciples ; but whether they 
were mere pretenders from the first, or whether after having 
once been honest, good Christians they apostatized and left 
them, he does not say. And, moreover, St. John was not 
then treating of apostasy, but of a very different matter. He 
was writing of false prophets, teachers, &c, and trying to 
satisfy his brethren that theirs was " the last time " (that is, 
the beginning of the last age of the world). And he was 
striving at the same time to impress on the mind of his 
readers the fact that "the world passeth away," and the 
other and most important practical truth that " he that doeth 
the will of God, abideth for ever " (verse 17). 

It cannot be necessary to dwell longer on that passage ; but 
all who entertain doubts whether a Christian may fall away 
and go back to the service of his old chieftain, the Devil, can 
be put right upon that question by a careful study of that 
one chapter from which that little extract is so often taken 
and so shamefully abused. For the doctrine of conditional 
salvation, and hence the necessity of faithful and watchful 
care on the part of Christians to persevere in well-doing, are 
directly or indirectly, but plainly and repeatedly, inculcated 
there as well as everywhere else in the gospel. Of some 
people it is well and truly said, " Eyes have they, but they 
see not."' 

In a work of this nature it would be expected that some- 
thing would be said about the salvation of heathen ; but 
inasmuch as the writer has expressed his views upon that 
subject in a previous work, it is not thought best to say a 
great deal of it here. 

We are informed by St. John that Jesus Christ " was the 
true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the 
world" (John i. 9). This includes heathen with everybody 
else. All " that cometh into the world " are enlightened by 
means of the Holy Spirit sufficiently to enable them to know 
what " the Great Spirit "would have them to do. And the 



PEACE ON EAETH. 177 



Saviour says, " Not every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord, 
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth 
the will of my Father which is in heaven " (Matt. vii. 21). 
God will not require an impossibility of any one ; therefore 
a heathen, being enlightened by the Holy Ghost as to his 
duty, can do that which is required of him as easily and cer- 
tainly as the most enlightened and highly educated Christian 
can do the will of the Father which is in heaven concerning 
him : " For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be 
much required," &c. 

St. Paul expresses himself in regard to the salvation of 
heathen in this way : God " will render to every man accord- 
ing to his deeds : to them who by patient continuance in well- 
doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life ; 
but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the 
truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribu- 
lation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil; 
of the Jew first, and also of the gentile : but glory, honor, and 
peace to every man that worketh good ; to the Jew first and 
also to the gentile ; for there is no respect of persons with 
God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also 
perish without law; and as many as have sinned in the law 
shall be judged by the law ; (for not the hearers of the law 
are justified before God, but the doers of the law shall be 
justified. For when the gentiles, which have not the law, do 
by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not 
the law, are a law unto themselves ; which show the work of 
the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing 
witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else 
excusing one another;) in the day when God shall judge the 
secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel " 
(Rom. ii. 6-16 ; see Rom. iii. 19, 22, 23). These Scriptures 
are too plain to require other explanation. 

In the case of Justus, we have an instance of a devout 
heathen who worshipped God, and who was on his way to 
heaven when the gospel overtook him (Acts xviii. 7). The 
same may be said of Cornelius (Acts x). And other such 
cases are to be met with in the gospel writings. 

12 



178 PEACE ON EARTH. 



We will now call attention to the following revelations, 
and close as to that question : " After this I beheld, and lo, 
a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations 
and kindreds and people and tongues, stood before the throne, 
and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palms in 
their hands ; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to 
God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb " 
(Rev. vii. 9, 10). From this Scripture alone, all who believe 
it must see that some people of all nations, kindreds, and 
tongues which have, do, or may live upon this earth as men, 
are or are to be saved. But very few, except the Jews 
only, of any nation which lived before or during the time of 
St. John had any knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures ; 
and comparatively few of the many nations, kindred, people, 
or tongues who have lived since his time have ever read or so 
much as heard of the gospel. Then, if none can be saved who 
have not enjoyed the blessed privilege either to read or hear 
the gospel of Jesus Christ, how can the vision in Patmos be 
realized ? To ask this question is to answer it. 

The Bible is so full of authority in regard to this matter, 
that all who can and will read it may become satisfied as to 
the truth in this respect. 1 

It is the belief of all Christians, or nearly so, that every 
one who dies before reaching the age of discretion is saved. 
And having already shown 2 why and how they are saved, I 
do not think it necessary to say more on that subject here. 

That infant heathen die, all must know ; and it is believed 
that few, if any, well-informed Christians doubt the salvation 
of " little children," though of heathen parentage. Hence we 
see that some heathen must be saved, or an innumerable host 
of infants must burn for ever in hell ! Jesus said, " Suffer 
little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me ; for of 
such is the kingdom of heaven." 

l See War in Heaven, p. 235. 2 Ibid., p. 297. 



PEACE ON EARTH. 179 



CHAPTER XV. 

Christian Union and Co-operation. — " A new commandment I give nnto 
you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love 
one another" (John xiii. 34). — Introduction. 

TN submitting to the Christian world a proposition so novel 
-*• as that which is hereinafter made must be considered by 
many, it is deemed best to preface it with a few explanatory 
remarks. 

It is made the duty of all Christians to " follow after the 
things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may- 
edify another." To do that, we must cultivate fraternal rela- 
tions with each other. But, in so doing, we should ever 
remember that it is our first and chief duty to love and obey 
our Creator and Redeemer; and, therefore, we should not 
expect nor desire that any Christian should violate his own 
sense of duty to God for any purpose whatever. In urging 
Catholic and Protestant Christians to cultivate better feeling 
toward one another, — with a view to that ultimate sympathy, 
harmony, and co-operation which is necessary to a speecly 
overthrow of the common adversary of both, — I do not ask 
either party to dissolve their present Church organizations, 
nor to abandon their existing forms of public worship ; nor 
would I willingly have any one of either party deny the faith 
which he honestly entertains at the time for that or for any 
other consideration. But it is desired that all professing 
Christians exercise that charity toward all other Christians, 
which the gospel enjoins that we extend to every man; and 
the faithful observance of that one duty by each Christian 
would bring every family of Christ's children together so fast 
that it would astonish the friends of Christian union, and ter- 
rify the hosts of Satan. 

It is, moreover, due to candor that I here admit my own 
imperfections and possible lack of charity for some Christian 



180 PEACE ON EARTH. 

families, although I love that God-like virtue wherever I find 
it. Yet, what poor erring man will say that he is altogether 
free from the jaundiced influence of prejudice ? And it is 
true that I have long felt in my own bosom a strong and 
growing distaste for every thing like human creeds of religion, 
and for every form and act, as of public worship, which the 
ingenious fancy of man has invented, and which was unknown 
in the apostolic age. In that I may err ; but I freely confess 
that my best affections are all fixed upon and entwined about 
that plain and simple system of faith, and practice, and manner 
of worship, which is taught in the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

And now, my Catholic brother, with the frank admission 
that my opinion in regard to your Church may not be correct 
in every particular, I hope you will accept it as coming from a 
friend who loves you, and as one which has been honestly 
formed, and upon the best attainable evidence, when I say to 
you in all kindness and candor, as I here do, that I honestly 
believe a majority of the articles which constitute your con- 
fession of faith, as printed and published, have no foundation 
whatever in the Bible, as revealed from heaven, nor in natural 
reason, but that they are inconsistent with both. And, fur- 
ther, I consider the whole paraphernalia of signs, images, and 
mystic ceremonies which are displayed or employed in con- 
nection with her public worship, as having originated more in 
an ambitious desire on the part of her founders and rulers to 
gratify their ambitious and selfish purposes — by securing the 
mastery of the mind and will, and the control of the means 
and conduct of her membership — than in a pious wish to 
promote the glory of God, or to secure the salvation of men. 
And, again, it is believed, and not without reason, that some 
articles of her faith, as well as her imposing but unintelligible 
ceremonies, were devised and adopted, not for any such godly 
purpose, but with an eye single to the superstitious fears and 
idolatrous proclivities of human nature; and that all such 
bewildering displays, being idolatrous in their nature and ten- 
dencies, are therefore displeasing to God, and injurious to the 
cause of his Christ. 

These conclusions have been reached with great care, and 



PEACE ON EARTH. 181 



they are recorded here in obedience to that which is a painful, 
but it is nevertheless considered a sacred, duty to the cause of 
Christ, and especially to that which heads this article. They 
are written in love, and, although expressed plainly, yet it 
is done in the mildest form deemed admissible, and by one 
who is but a lay-member himself, and, therefore, can have no 
secular interest in the prosperity of any branch of the Christian 
Church at the cost of another. See 2 Thess. ii. 3, 4 ; and 
compare Exodus xx. 1-6, as in King James's translation, with 
the same as found in the Douay editions of the Bible, — simply 
remembering that God will hold us to answer according to the 
capacity which he has given each of us. 

And while addressing my thoughts especially to you, my 
Catholic friend and brother, permit me to say to you, and 
through you to a large number of our Protestant brethren, 
that their views, as well as yours, in reference to the vastly 
important questions which relate to the trinity of persons in 
the Godhead, and to some other matters also, have precisely 
the same origin, and can find no better support, either in rev- 
elation or reason. They came by them honestly, however, as 
they acquired them while in the mother Church, and brought 
them along with them when they left her. 

Notwithstanding that the plan of Christian union which is 
hereinafter advocated looks mainly and ultimately to a hearty 
co-operation of the several Church organizations, as such, " in 
every good word and work," it is well known that the Roman 
Catholic, and some other Churches, will not affiliate with any 
other body of Christians in any common enterprise whatever 
at present ; yet there is hope of a brighter future. And, there- 
fore, the only hope we have of present help from your Church, 
my brother, is based upon a confidence in the individual love 
which many of you doubtless have and cherish for Jesus 
Christ and his cause, and in your sincerity of purpose to serve 
him as best you may. For it is confidently believed that there 
are many among you who have sufficient love of truth, self- 
respect, and firmness of purpose to induce you to " search the 
Scriptures" and to examine the subject in all its bearings, 
each for himself; and that, should your judgment approve 



182 PEACE ON EARTH. 



our efforts in this respect, and your sense of duty to God and 
to the holy cause in which our Saviour spent his life and met 
his death prompt you to sustain us therein, you will then 
rise above any mere prejudice of education which may have 
hitherto affected you, and that you will mount up to the full 
stature of that manhood with which the God of Nature has 
blessed you, and come "to the help of the Lord, — to the 
help of the Lord against the mighty ! " 

Of course, we can rely upon individual aid only in this good 
work from the Catholic and other Churches which are simi- 
larly situated for present help. It is insisted that the faith 
of the Roman Church cannot be changed, and, of course, that 
cannot be done except in Ecumenical Council. And the 
creeds and rules of discipline in some other Churches are but 
little less stringent upon the lay membership. But it is no 
less true that in this country, and most others of our age, all 
such objectionable articles of faith, forms of worship, rules of 
government, &c, can be abandoned ; and in that way, should 
it be found necessary, all such restraining influence and ser- 
vile control can be avoided. 

In his gospel the Master has given all his disciples a plain 
and simple, yet all-sufficient, form of faith, with all needful 
instructions in regard to public worship, and other duties of 
Christian life, — which is brief enough. What more do we 
need ? In that we have a common creed of faith and prac- 
tice, — one in which we all believe : one that no man, nor 
body of men, in any subsequent age, has, or had, the right to 
alter. And it is the only one upon which all who love Jesus 
can meet, agree, and live, love, and serve as one happy family, 
and at the same time fight our common foe as one army. But 
all of that, and much more, could be realized without any 
sacrifice of principle, liberty of conscience, or freedom of 
thought and expression of opinion, on the part of any one 
who believes with St. Peter that Jesus is " the Christ, the Son 
of the living God." 

And as the blessed Jesus was raised from the dead, so has 
his Church been resurrected ; and she is again at work in her 
old nomenclature, as " Disciple," " Christian," &c, under her 



PEACE ON EARTH. 183 



same old confession of faith, — the Gospel, — and with the 
same offices, forms of government, &c. Here all who want to 
read the Word of God, and think and talk and act for them- 
selves, and so prepare for that awful day when each and all 
will be judged, and rewarded or punished according to their 
works, may come and find a sure and safe retreat, a happy 
home, where the vile persecutor, whether Catholic, Baptist, 
or of other name, cannot molest nor reach them. And surely 
here all Christians may come and worship God, " under his 
vine, and under his fig-tree, and none shall make them afraid." 
" And the Spirit and the bride say, Come ; and let him that 
heareth say, Come ; and let him that is athirst come : and 
whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" 



184 PEACE ON EARTH. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Of Christian Love. — All Christians should co-operate against the com- 
mon Foe. — Cause of alienation between Catholic and Protestant 
Christians. — How it can be removed. — Is such Union desirable? — 
Good people deceived. — Should not be more than two Christian 
Churches. — Heavenly Treasures, &c. 

/ nr*HE Master's command is that his disciples love one an- 
-*■ other. And he has explained the nature of the love 
we should entertain for each other in these words : " As I 
have loved you." He has also prescribed the terms of admis- 
sion into his holy family, by saying to his disciples and the 
assembled multitude that, " Whosoever will come after me, 
let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me." 
And he has moreover, through the beloved disciple, given us 
an easy and safe test by which we may examine ourselves 
(but no other) and learn our own relations to him, or to his 
and our enemy, as the case may be, as plainly as this : " We 
know that we have passed from death unto life, because we 
love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother, abideth in 
death." 

Now, my Christian friend, are you living up to this standard ? 
Do you love all Christians, — Protestant, Greek, Catholic, and 
all others, — as Christ loved his disciples ? If you do not, 
what assurance have you that you " have passed from death 
unto life " ? We should observe every precaution that we 
do not build our hopes of a home in heaven on a sandy founda- 
tion; for many who live in delusive hopes of a better fato 
are to be driven away from the Saviour, on that final and 
terrible day of account, under the awful curse, " Depart from 
me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and 
his angels." 

" God is love." Love is the ruling impulse of his nature. 
Christ is like the Father in that respect as in every other; 



PEACE ON EARTH. 185 

and to become Christians we must be like Christ in this 
redeeming quality. Oh ! how careful then ought we to be, 
that we love the Father who created us, love the Son who 
redeemed us, and love the Holy Spirit which leads us along 
the narrow way to life ! and that we love every Christian 
too, who tries to walk with us along that straight and happy 
way, and by whatsoever name he or she may be called or 
known. 

When we retrospect the history of the Church which was 
established by the meek and lowly Jesus, whose whole being 
lives in love, and reflect upon the Inquisition, Crusades, per- 
secutions, cruelties, and death, which men professing to be 
Christians have inflicted upon others of that faith, and for no 
other fault alleged than mere opinion's sake, we cannot won- 
der that few — comparatively but few — of all who claim his 
sons to be, will Jesus deign to own ! 

As it has been announced already, the chief good which it 
is hoped will accrue to the cause of Christianity from this 
little work, is such as may accrue from calling the atten- 
tion of Christians generally — and especially of those who 
mould the faith of the Church — to the effect which the accept- 
ance of the theory of our being which is taught in the Bible 
must inevitably have upon some of the most vital questions 
in regard to which the Church now stands divided in opinion. 
And in this chapter it is designed to show the happy effect 
which its general approval must have upon the unnatural 
relations which hitherto have and do now exist between Cath- 
olic and Protestant Christians, as between themselves ; for in 
that view, they would all see at once that they have mutually 
misunderstood each other, and therefore that each has done 
the other family great injustice. And they would likewise 
learn that the sole efficient cause of the unhappy alienation of 
feeling which has kept them so long quite as far from the 
confidence and affections of each other as either should feel 
opposed to the most ungodly sinner who ever disgraced the 
cause of the Devil, has no foundation in fact whatever. 

It is not only true that the cause of all the bitterness of 
feeling which obtained, and has prevailed so long, on the part 



186 PEACE ON EARTH. 



of each of these two families of Christians toward the other 
is utterly unfounded, but to one who is a stranger to any such 
prejudice it is a matter of wonderment, and it must so strike 
all such, that the Church should have permitted an enemy of 
such enormous proportions to have grown up in her own 
bosom, and which had no other sustenance than such as was 
drawn from a misapprehension of the nature and intendment 
of one passage of Scripture, and in regard to which both 
parties have and do alike agree and err ! 

Several strange features connected with the interpretation 
of the Scripture here alluded to should be noticed, and which 
are the following : (1) It is singular that it ever should have 
been considered a prophecy, and not a revelation, as it pur- 
ports on its face to be. (2) After it had been interpreted by 
common consent as but another prophecy, and foretelling an 
event which was then believed to lie in the near future, and 
which did occur very much as anticipated according to previ- 
ous prophecies, — it is strange that it should thereafter have 
been construed (and with the same agreement) as prophetic 
of another and a different matter, and as relating to another 
and altogether a different people. (3) And after the Christian 
world had so fully agreed twice (as to the fulfilment of a 
prophecy which was supposed to be contained therein), and 
subsequently admitted that they had as often erred in that 
respect ; and not only so, but after they had quarrelled between 
themselves, and parted company completely, — it is wonderful 
that both parties should have agreed the third time as to its 
prophetic nature, and that it predicted still another and en- 
tirely different dispensation of Providence ; and it is more 
wonderful still that each party should then and since have 
construed it (and in all seriousness, as charity requires us to 
hope) as foretelling the certain and total destruction of the 
other party ! All of which is not less true than curious, as 
has been shown already in a previous chapter. 

Let the preceding thoughts by way of inducement suffice 
for that purpose, and we will proceed without further delay 
to the remarks designed in furtherance of the sacred cause 
of Christian union. And in abundant caution, to prevent if 



PEACE OX EARTH. 187 

possible all misapprehension in that respect, I now and here 
reaffirm that the plan which I propose and wish to be adopted, 
by which to effect a more perfect union of all Christians, is 
not to form another sect, nor in any way to interfere with 
present church organizations, either of which would only 
make the matter worse ; but it is simply to show that all 
Christians could and should learn to love one another, live in 
peace and camp together, and as one solid phalanx meet and 
fight the common foe. And it is purposed now to point out 
the way by which that sort of union can be brought to a 
happy consummation, for the calm and prayerful consideration 
of all who love Christ Jesus our Lord and his kingdom here 
below. 

And with that design, the thoughts which follow are affec- 
tionately submitted : (1) It is assumed that there is but one 
insurmountable obstacle in the way to a speedy and happy 
union of all Christians, of whatever name (who love God 
more than Mammon), into one body, as far at least as neces- 
sary for practical purposes ; and that difficulty could readily 
be removed out of the way. (2) That the obstacle referred to 
originated in an erroneous interpretation of the account given 
in the twelfth chapter of Revelation (7-11) of a "war in 
heaven " (which is the Scripture already alluded to), and in 
construing it as a prophecy and not as a revelation ; and that 
the hindering cause lies in a false impression, which rests 
alike on the Catholic arid Protestant mind, in regard to the 
devotional intentions of the other, and to the relations sup- 
posed by each to exist between the opposite party and the 
Redeemer. (3) And that a correct understanding of that one 
Scripture by all Christians would remove the successfully 
hindering cause, and open a way to such union and co-opera- 
tion on our part as would make glad the city of God, and 
overwhelm the hosts of the enemy with terror and dismay. 

This matter demands the most serious consideration on the 
part of every teacher of religion, and of all others who dare 
think and act for themselves in search for the way which 
leads from earth to heaven. And to enable readers of this 
article to examine for themselves, and with the least conceiv- 



188 PEACE ON EARTH. 

able trouble, the passage of Scripture which, as it is alleged, 
has been so variously and erroneously construed, and from a 
false interpretation of which an evil of such magnitude has 
accrued to the Church of Jesus Christ, — it is reproduced 
here, and submitted with but a few explanatory or rather sug- 
gestive remarks thereon, and which are mainly designed to 
awaken a wish on the part of the reader to know its true 
nature and value. Here is that remarkable Scripture : — 

" And there was war in heaven ; Michael and his angels 
fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought and his 
angels, and prevailed not ; neither was their place found any 
more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that 
old serpent called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the 
whole world : he was cast out into the earth, and his angels 
were cast out with him. (And I heard a loud voice saying 
in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the king- 
dom of our God, and the power of his Christ, for the accuser 
of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our 
God day and night.) And they overcame him by the blood 
of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they 
loved not their lives unto the death." 

Now, honest reader, what does this Scripture mean ? Read 
it first, omitting the parenthesis (the tenth verse) thus : " He 
was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with 
him ; and they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb," &c. 
The most natural, literal, and logical meaning is simply this : 
Satan was cast out of heaven and down to this earth, and his 
angels (those who fought under him) were cast out and down 
with him ; and that they (Satan's angels) overcame him 
(Satan) by virtue of the blood of Jesus Christ. Is not this 
the fair, true, and in fact the only reasonable interpretation 
of it? 

If this is the correct view of the passage quoted (and who 
will say that it is not ?), the question as to the origin of our 
race is settled, — is it not ? And with that must go her twin 
sister — the other question, which like that has sorely vexed, 
harassed, and perplexed the Christian world for lo these 
many ages, — as to whether the Pope and his adherents, or 



PEACE OX EARTH. 189 



Luther and his followers, are the parties intended by the 
terms " dragon," " serpent," " Devil," " Satan and his angels," 
as used there ! 

Now go back and read the whole five verses, including the 
tenth, which is here (and properly) given in parenthesis, and 
you will find that after having the true meaning first suggested 
by reading the ninth and eleventh verses in close connection, 
the construction here given is strengthened by reading the 
entire passage as St. John wrote it ; for any other rendering 
would involve the absurdity of holding that " our brethren," 
who were " accused before our God day and night," were 
intended as those who overcame (and were to overcome) 
Satan " by the blood of the Lamb ; " and they obviously are 
and were the steadfast and holy angels of heaven. And it is 
confidently believed that no sane man will seriously insist 
that they are the "lost" whom Christ came " to seek and to 
save." 

Should any doubt whether this is a prophecy of things yet 
to come, or a revelation of things that are past, still linger in 
the mind, just read it as relating to the future, changing the 
tense thus : " 7. And there was [will be] war in heaven ; 
Michael and his angels fought [will fight] against the dragou, 
and the dragon fought [will fight] and his angels. 8. And 
prevailed not [will not prevail] ; neither was [will be] their 
place found any more in heaven. 9. And the great dragon 
was [will be] cast out, that old serpent called the Devil and 
Satan which deceiveth [will deceive] the whole world : he was 
[will be] cast out into the earth, and his angels were [will be] 
cast out with him. 10. And I heard [will hear] a loud voice 
saying in heaven, Now is [will come] salvation, and strength, 
and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ ; 
for the accuser of our brethren is [to be] cast down which 
accused [will accuse] them before our God day and night. 
11. And they overcame [will overcome] him by the blood of 
the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony ; and they loved 
not [will not love] their lives unto the death." How will 
this rendering do ? 

If the above is a prophecy of future events, to get the 



190 PEACE ON EARTH. 

meaning we must read it as if written in the future tense. Is 
not this true ? Now, study it carefully, as so written above, 
and it will be found that it prophesies of but two events : 
first, that God will overcome all his enemies ; and, second, 
that Satan and his angels will live unlovely lives. That is 
all. And what Bible reader did not know that much before ? 
If, therefore, it was intended as a prophecy, and foretells 
nothing that was not known before, it is of no value what- 
ever. And, which is still worse, if it is a prophecy relating 
to the warfare which is progressing here on earth between 
Michael and Satan and their respective angels, it is calcu- 
lated to deceive and not to instruct ; for this war was about 
two-thirds over at that time, as all Christians, or nearly all, 
agree. 

In that view, it seems that Satan is to be cast out into the 
earth. When is he to come ? Some people think he is here 
now ! Is this world to be afflicted with another " Devil and 
his angels " ? It appears that there was (or is to be) great 
rejoicing in heaven ; for the accuser of the brethren, " which 
accused them before our God day and night," was (or is to 
be) " cast down" Did the infidel Jews or heathen Romans 
ever accuse Christians before " our G-od" day or night? Or 
do Catholic and Protestant Christians now accuse one another 
" before our God " ? It is true that some of each do accuse 
the other party of a great many bad things before their con- 
gregations and readers, of which evil practices, in many in- 
stances, the accused are not guilty, — for that pays ! But all 
who " do such things " (and who are not infidels) know that 
God has no need of their accusations to enlighten him as to 
what men are doing in this world ; " for his eyes are upon the 
ways of man, and he seeth all his goings." 

That " Revelation " was first construed as a prophecy relating 
to the Jewish war and the destruction of the city of Jerusalem. 
The second construction of it was, that " It contains predic- 
tions of the persecutions of the Christians under the heathen 
emperors of Rome, and of the happy days of the Church 
under Christian emperors, from Constantine downward." 
This opinion obtained after the destruction of Jerusalem, and 



PEACE ON EARTH. 191 



upon the cruel persecutions of Christians by heathen emperors ; 
and it prevailed down to the Reformation of Luther and others, 
as the settled opinion of the Church. 

But from that Reformation down to the present time the 
Catholic Church has construed it as " a prophetic declaration 
of the schisms and heresies of Martin Luther, those called 
Reformers, and their successors, and the final destruction of 
the Protestant religion;" while, on the other hand, the Prot- 
estants as a body protest that it contains " prophecies con- 
cerning the tyrannical and oppressive conduct of the Roman 
pontiffs, — the true Anti-Christ, — and foretells the final de- 
struction of Popery." 

And so stands the controversy between these two great 
Christian families at the present time, each fully (hopefully ?) 
expecting the final destruction of the other ! 1 

As long as Catholic and Protestant Christians continue 
each to esteem the other as identical with the parties who 
were called by the messenger of God " the Devil and his 
angels," it is not likely that either will covet such union with 
the other party as death could not dissolve, — is it ? 

But further comment here on the construction of a Scrip- 
ture which, in and of itself, is the equivalent of a " thus saith 
the Lord," cannot be necessary. Were it desired to pursue 
this branch of our subject further (but it is not), it would be 
more profitable to look into the causes which have led to such 
perversions of that which is plain as written with the inspired 
pen ; and therefore, with but one remark in that direction, we 
will pass on. 

The Christian Church may, and unquestionably has, suffered 
to some extent from the ignorance of her teachers ; but that 
she has suffered incomparably more from their selfish wicked- 
ness is equally true. This remark does not apply to any well- 
intending Christian, of whatsoever denomination he may be, 
or may have been, a member ; but it applies to those only 
whom St. John calls " antichrists." They know themselves, 
and God knows them. And it applies just the same to the 
political troubles of this world. 

1 See the Preface to Dr. A. Clarke's "Notes on Revelation." 



192 PEACE ON EAKTH. 



It is true, as is well known, that some good people (as we 
consider them, and as they want to be) have a sort of notion 
that it is best for the Church that she should be divided, as at 
present. But to that objection either of the answers which 
follow ought to be sufficient to satisfy every Christian man 
and woman who so thinks, that they are wrong in that respect, 
if in no other. The first is, that the Saviour thought differ- 
ently ; and those who profess to be his disciples should respect 
his opinions, whether they obey his commands or not. 

Jesus says : " If a kingdom be divided against itself, that 
kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, 
that house cannot stand" (Mark iii. 24, 25). The Church of 
Christ is elsewhere called a kingdom, and it is likewise called 
a house ; and we must believe that he desired his Church to 
stand; and it was for that reason that he admonished his dis- 
ciples of the absolute necessity of avoiding divisions among 
themselves. With politicians it is a maxim that- "In union 
there is strength." " For the children of this world are in 
their generation [vocation] wiser than the children of light." 

We are commanded to " love one another ; " and if we will 
all do that, the holy cause of Christian union will take care of 
itself. St. Paul exhorted his Corinthian brethren to " be of 
one mind," and " live in peace ; " and that counsel well kept 
would soon restore the unity of the Church. And, as we have 
seen, we cannot have the evidence of our own acceptance with 
Christ, which is promised to the faithful, unless " we love the 
brethren ; " but, on the contrary, we are fully assured that 
" He that loveth not his brother abideth in death." There- 
fore we should examine ourselves carefully in this respect. 

It is easy to love a brother who is our neighbor and per- 
sonal friend, as well as a member of the same society with 
which we meet for, or to witness, divine worship, as the case 
may be. But that is not enough, my Christian friend. To 
bring yourself within the rule prescribed by the Master, you 
must love all who profess to love and hope for redemption by 
Jesus Christ, and whose conduct proves their sincerity in that 
profession, and notwithstanding you or he may be a Catholic 
and the other a Protestant. That is the sort of love which 



PEACE ON EARTH. 193 



is required of us, and which alone will result in Christian 
union. We have the most conclusive proof that the unity of 
his disciples was a desideratum most earnestly desired by him 
who gave himself a ransom for us, in his fervent prayer for his 
disciples, " That they all may be one," even as he and the 
Father " are one." (See John xvii.) 

The second answer to that objection which was alluded to 
above is that there is an evil genius, a deceiver, in the world, 
— the same of whom we have just read, that "he was cast 
out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him," 
and who " deceiveth the whole world." (See also Zech. iii. 
1, 2.) Observe, he deceives " the whole world ; " this includes 
all men, the good as well as the bad ; therefore we must know 
that good men are deceived by that evil fiend as well as bad 
men. And although he may not be able to satisfy an experi- 
enced Christian at the first interview that there is no God, no 
after-life, nor of any other damning heresy, — yet he may, by 
persistent efforts, succeed in deceiving such an one into erro- 
neous views of Christian faith and duty in some particulars. 
This he constantly does, as we are compelled to believe from 
the widely differing opinions which good men entertain on 
some important subjects in relation to which all revealed evi- 
dence is on one side. For God will not deceive any one who 
goes to learn of him ; and, therefore, when we meet with one 
who professes faith in Christ, and whose holy walk and godly 
conversation demand our confidence in his sincerity (and there 
are many such), and yet who believes that it is best for the 
cause of Christ that his Church remain divided, as at present, 
we may safely certify that Satan is responsible for that error. 
But whether he or his dupe will be held to answer for it at 
the great day, God only knows. The safer way, however, is 
to form our opinions on this as well as on all other such mat- 
ters, from what Christ has said of such things. 

We are informed by the Saviour that, " Not every one that 
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of 
heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in 
heaven. Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, 
have we not prophesied (taught) in thy name ? and in thy 

13 



194 PEACE ON EARTH. 

name have cast out devils ? and in thy name done many won- 
derful works ? And then will I profess unto them, I never 
knew you [as my disciples] ; depart from me, ye that work 
iniquity" (Matt. vii. 21-23). That priests and ministers of 
the gospel are intended in these fearful words of our Lord is 
too manifest to justify any argument to prove it. 

Then, my Christian friends, let us all heed the warning. 
Somebody — nay, " many" are to be sorely disappointed on that 
dread day, for which all other days were made. For none 
but those who will be truly and sorely disappointed, at the 
position assigned them during the eternal future, would make 
such appeal to him who now is our most affectionate, devoted, 
and merciful friend, but who will then return as the stern, 
unyielding Judge of both quick and dead, and avenger of the 
violated law and contemned mercies of the Father, — would 
they ? Therefore, all who lie under the sacred responsibilities 
which devolve upon every one who undertakes to teach in 
matters of religion in any way (and notwithstanding we may 
have done so in obedience to what we felt it our duty to do) 
should often revert to that divine and timely warning, and 
in the dust of humility inquire at the mercy-seat, " Lord, Lord ! 
is it I?" 

This word of counsel comes from an older and far more 
reliable " James" than is his erring and unworthy namesake, 
the writer of this. He says : " If any of you lack wisdom, 
let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and up- 
braideth not, and it shall be given him." And, again : " The 
wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, 
easy to be entreated," &c. ; and further : " Ye ask and receive 
not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your 
lusts [or pleasures] ' (James i. 5, iii. 17, iv. 3). 

If we would not be of those who "ask and receive not, 
because [we] ask amiss," we must not harbor within us, be- 
fore the throne of God, any unholy desire to teach that which 
is more popular or profitable than the naked truth as found 
in the gospel, for the purpose of gratifying our " lusts " for 
fame, gold, or any thing of that sort ; but to secure the Divine 
favor we must go there with clean hands and pure hearts, 



PEACE ON EARTH. 195 

denying all " ungodliness and worldly lusts," — " For if ye 
live after the flesh ye shall die ; but if ye through the Spirit 
do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many 
as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God " 
(Rom. viii. 13, 14). 

The same enemy of God and man who so often deceives 
the best of Christians in regard to matters of faith and duty, 
not un frequently deceives those who are over-fond of the 
pleasures, wealth, or honors of this world into downright 
infidelity. Such men, being unconsciously deceived them- 
selves, in some instances become fond of deception, and take 
pleasure in deceiving others. The Church affords a ready 
ambuscade for such men. There they lie concealed from the 
unsuspecting eye of those who frequent her sacred portals, 
and there they ply their skill unknown of men. And some 
such fiends " steal the livery of heaven to serve the Devil 
in ; " and when so clad, they ascend the consecrated desk. 
And perhaps such an one may ere long be esteemed " a burn- 
ing and a shining light " in the Church of Jesus Christ, and 
many become " willing for a season to rejoice in his light." 

In writing of such men, I prefer to copy from the pen of 
inspiration rather than risk my own to photograph them. 
That pen counsels all humble and sincere Christians in the 
words which follow : " Now I beseech you, brethren, mark 
them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doc- 
trine which ye have heard ; and avoid them. For they that 
are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own 
belly ; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the 
hearts of the simple " (St. Paul). Again : " I know this, that 
after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, 
not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, 
speaking perverse things, to draw disciples after them" (ibid.). 

It may be well enough to say of the last quotation, that the 
apostle had reference to two classes of dangerous leaders. 
By the " grievous wolves " who would " enter in " the Church, 
he evidently intended such as have not faith in Christ nor 
regard for the well-being of his Church, but who were mere 
pretenders, hypocrites from the first; and by those " of your 



196 PEACE ON EARTH. 



own selves," well-intending but deluded and ambitious men 
are referred to. But the motives of those who seek to dis- 
turb the peace or unity of the Church are not proper subjects 
of inquiry : first, because none but God can in all cases read 
the thoughts and scan the motives of men ; and, secondly, 
because their motives are not material, for the consequences 
are the same whatsoever their intentions may be ; and there- 
fore it is made the imperative duty of all good men alike to 
mark and avoid all who so act. 

The Saviour has given us the following warning and direc- 
tion concerning that class of men : " Beware of false prophets 
[teachers or preachers] which come to you in sheep's cloth- 
ing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know 
them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs 
of thistles ? " (Matt. vii. 15, 16.) In the light of this admo- 
nition, and of what the blessed Jesus elsewhere says about it, 
should we consider one who is trying " to draw away disciples 
after him," or to perpetuate existing schisms of the Church 
(by nourishing the prejudices of her members against each 
other) , as bearing good or bad fruit ? This question admits of 
but one answer ; and therefore all Christians should " beware 
of " such men " and avoid them." For of all such one of two 
things is true : they are " wolves in sheep's clothing ; " or, if 
they believe in Christ at all (as some such doubtless do), they 
have permitted the Devil, by flattering their vanity, feeding 
the fires of their ambition, &c, to deceive them, and to lead 
them away far from the peaceful path of Christian duty ; and, 
in either case, the evil effects of their doing are the same. 

To render justice to the memory of good and true men who 
have gone before us, and who have served the cause of Chris- 
tianity well ; and to avoid forestalling others who may come 
after us, and labor earnestly and faithfully to restore the 
Church to her native purity, — it is here repeated, that those 
who are properly called " reformers " are not obnoxious to the 
charge of selfishness nor of being disorganizers : we should 
rather esteem them as peacemakers and restorers of the 
Church. Of the latter class were Martin Luther and his 
coadjutors, — although unfortunately they did organize new 



PEACE ON EARTH. 197 



churches, — and more recently the Messrs. Campbell, father 
and son. The latter, however, did not deem it necessary to 
constitute another sect upon another creed ; all they attempted 
was to recall their brethren to the apostolic faith and prac- 
tice. The first sought to reform that branch of the Church 
which, as it is believed, first introduced infant baptism, and still 
observes it ; and the latter brethren also labored (and doubt- 
less in like good faith) to reform in other respects the church 
which adheres to and practices the administration of that bap- 
tism which was first introduced by the forerunner, St. John. 

And I pause here to remark (with the hope that the digres- 
sion will be pardoned), that there is not now, never was, and 
never can be, any real necessity for more than two church 
organizations. All Christians who love Jesus as they should, 
and who are willing to deny themselves, take up the cross and 
follow him (as all must do to be recognized as his disciples), 
could find kindred spirits and happy homes either in a church 
constituted on the basis of infant baptism, or in one which fol- 
lows that of John, the harbinger ; for none should expect to 
be considered Christians, and treated as such even in this life, 
who will not deny themselves so far as to exercise the charity 
toward others which is necessary to prepare them to love and 
live in peace with brethren who may not agree with them in 
opinion on other and the minor points of faith, respecting 
which Christians differ among themselves, and upon which 
non-essential questions the Church is now divided into so 
many great parties, and little factions more. 

Until Christians agree in relation to baptism and kindred 
questions which grow out of that, there may be some excuse 
for perpetuating two (not more than two !) church organiza- 
tions ; but there is no good reason why the members of these 
two divisions of the Church (or of all that we are now afflicted 
with) should not " live in peace," u love one another," and, as 
two wings of one great army under the same victorious chief, 
all scheme and work and fight as one, and against his and our 
common foe (the Devil) and those who are his angels still. 

In these remarks, as it must have been perceived already, 
Mohammedans are not included ; but, as regards all other 



198 PEACE ON EARTH. 

professing Christians, it is confidently believed that a careful 
examination of the whole matter (in the light of revelation and 
in the absence of the Deceiver) will satisfy every one that the 
position above assumed is well sustained by gospel authority. 

Why should Christians war against each other ? Have we 
not a common foe, — one worthy of our steel, — and who is 
now drawn up in battle array against us? This life is a war- 
fare, and the world is but a battle-field ; and but two parties 
are engaged in the fight. Each and every one, all who have 
descended from Adam, and who now live on earth, stand 
enrolled to-day on one or the other of the two army lists. 
Michael and his hosts, and Satan and his angels, are the 
opposing parties now as in the beginning. 

There is no neutral ground, no bomb-proof place, 
Where one may skulk and hide, his God disgrace; 
But all must war with Christ, while here we may, 
Or camp with Satan now, hence with him stay ! 

Will any well-informed Protestant say that all Catholics 
are against Christ? that they are all serving the Devil and 
going to hell ? Or will any intelligent member of the Catho- 
lic Church say that all Protestants are so engaged, and drift- 
ing to that bad world? The twin sisters, Truth and Charity, 
answer both these questions simultaneously and emphatically 
with the monosyllable, No ! 

It is true that tares are allowed to grow with the wheat, and 
will be till the harvest. We should therefore expect that bad 
men (" wolves in sheep's clothing ") are to be found in every 
branch of the Christian Church; but to believe that all Catho- 
lic officials and people on one side, or that all Protestant teach- 
ers and church members on the other side, are either fools or 
knaves, would require a degree of ignorance or bigotry which 
it is believed but few possess. 

We all profess to believe that Jesus is " the Christ, the Son 
of the living God," and to hope for salvation in virtue of the 
atonement he has made for us. We all expect to meet at the 
same judgment, and all base our faith on the same Bible ; 
do we not? Nor is this all; for every pious Catholic and 



PEACE ON EARTH. 199 



Protestant, of ordinary capacity and information, fully agree 
in every thing that it is necessary any should believe that 
they may be saved by and through our glorious Redeemer. 

All that is refreshing, but it is a painful truth that at the 
same time a large majority of both agree also in a false con- 
struction of that important Scripture. And out of that one 
common error all the present alienations of feeling and mutual 
distrust — not to say hate — which each entertains toward 
the other has grown. 

The following evidence is offered to prove that the passage 
under consideration is a revelation and not a prophecy : (1) 
It purports to reveal (make known) to us an occurrence of the 
past, and does not appear to prophesy of things to come. Will 
any one deny this ? (2) The Christian world has twice agreed 
as to its application as a prophecy, and each time, and with 
the same unanimity afterwards, abandoned the first and like- 
wise the second construction of it ; and while both of the two 
leading families of Christians now agree that it is a prophecy, 
they disagree hugely (as we have seen) relative to its appli- 
cation. (3) That when construed as a revelation, its mean- 
ing is clear, natural, and reasonable ; its application is certain, 
and its value is manifest to all. For it is capable of reconcil- 
ing every alleged conflict in the Bible, and thereby disarming 
infidelity. And it also shows that Satan is the Anti-Christ 
mentioned by the apostles, and that neither the Pope nor 
Luther is the dreadful enemy of Christ and his Church ; and 
thereby a way is opened to a perfect reunion of all the dis- 
ciples of Christ into one happy family. 

And inasmuch as the opinions of the Church in this par- 
ticular have and do counterbalance, and thereby destroy each 
the other as all must see, we should not regard either one of 
them as of any value whatever. But the interpretation of that 
Scripture should be held and treated as an open field, rich in 
heavenly treasures ; and therefore as one which offers the 
most hopeful and sacred inducements to every thoughtful, 
learned, and real friend of the Christian religion, and in fact 
to all who can read their Bible. 

But the prevailing opinion with the Orthodox (?) teachers 



200 PEACE ON EARTH. 



in matters of religion, in this degenerate age, seems to be that 
there is really no such thing as laying up treasures in heaven, 
more than merely to gain admission to that good world. 
That will do very well for those who wish to hold the full 
mastery of the thoughts and conduct of their flocks. A very 
different view of the matter, however, is everywhere taught 
in God's Word. We are there informed that every man will 
be rewarded or punished (as the case may be), in the future 
state, according to his works here. Christ promised his dis- 
ciples that he would reward them in heaven for all their 
sufferings in this world ; he denounced against certain wicked 
scribes " greater damnation ; " and he counselled his disciples, 
and all who heard him, in these words : " Lay up for your- 
selves treasures in heaven." How can all this be, if all are 
equal in heaven, and if one is to suffer no more than another 
in hell? But I do not propose to argue that question here. 

The value of a proper understanding of that revelation 
cannot be over-estimated, if all the good which it is alleged 
will result from it can be had at a cost so cheap ; for in that 
case a sure panacea is found for all the ailments that affect so 
hurtfully the Christian world. A proposed construction of 
any passage of Scripture (which appears to be both natural 
and reasonable in itself) which if found to be the true one 
will have the happy effect of removing out of the way every 
apparent discrepancy which, as the enemy affirms, does exist 
in the Bible as at present construed, and of reconciling every 
inconsistency which has been or may be alleged against our 
system of religion, and which if approved by all will at the 
same time overcome and crush out the only cause that has or 
can split in twain and keep asunder those who are and should 
feel as one in Christ (Catholic and Protestant Christians), — 
certainly deserves a careful investigation, does it not ? How 
sad it is to those who love the Lord Jesus Christ, and all who 
love and serve him, to see Christians stand aloof — affections 
cold — even opposing one another, as Jews and Samaritans ! 
The present alienated condition of the Church is unnatural ; 
it is wrong, sinful, damning! and alike so as regards those 
who caused it, and others who now approve and perpetuate it. 



PEACE ON EARTH. 201 



That is a work of the Devil ; and Christ will destroy it, as 
he will all the other works of his enemy. Mark that ! 

But ours is said to be a practical age. In secular matters 
it is eminently so, I admit. And some may ask, Is a union 
of all Christians into one family practical in this late period 
of the world? To that question the revealed Word answers 
in advance, that it is not only practical, but it is necessary 
and certain. When or how such union will come I know 
not ; but God knows. We may continue to be called by 
different names, as were the immediate disciples of Christ : 
but they all loved one another ; they lived together in peace ; 
and all worked in concert, and with one mind. Of the twelve 
disciples one was a devil; and there are doubtless devils 
among us now. It cannot reasonably be expected that a less 
proportion of bad men are connected with the Church now 
than were then. And Judas carried the bag then, and the 
same love of gain may now invite such as he was to high 
position among the brethren. He was put out of the way, 
and another was chosen in his stead. A similar elimination 
may become necessary again ; if so, it will be made. 

As we have seen, Christ prayed for the unity of his disci- 
ples, and for all who should believe on him " through their 
word; " that they "all may be one," as he and the Father 
" are one." But that is not all, for he prophesied that his 
sheep should all be brought into " one fold," and fed by " one 
shepherd " (see John x. 1-16). In these remarks, the Saviour 
evidently had in view, and intended to indorse, such prophe- 
cies as those found in Isaiah xi. 1-9, and in Ezekiel xxxvii. 
22-27. Many similar predictions have been put on record, 
and must be fulfilled. When the hindering cause is satisfac- 
torily agreed upon and well understood by all better informed 
Christians, then will the work of unification begin in good 
earnest ; and from that glorious epoch the time will be short 
until all will constitute but one fold, " and they shall have 
[but] one shepherd." And, as suggested already, the deep 
chasm which lies between Catholic and Protestant Christians 
(which has been washed out, and made wider and deeper con- 
tinually, by the floods of error which have flowed so freely 



202 PEACE ON EARTH. 



during these murky centuries from a false construction of 
that one Scripture) will then be speedily bridged over and 
completely filled up. 

And it is no less true that all the deep and dark prejudices 
of our nature, with other available means at hand, have been 
employed by the Devil to aid him in dividing and sub-dividing 
the Protestant Church into the numerous families and sects 
of which she now consists. They too have been deceived. 
In some instances they have been led into error as to the 
views entertained, and in other cases as to the motives which 
actuate other Protestant people and families. 

" My brethren, these things ought not so to be ! " And 
they would not so have been, but for the unholy desire on the 
part of ambitious and misguided men to direct the thoughts 
and control the actions of their fellow-men. This desire at 
an early day culminated in the evil practice of making creeds 
of religion, and of forcing their acceptance and approval by 
others, and at whatever cost that became necessary. 

The shallow pretext which was offered as an excuse for so 
doing was that the Scriptures are too mysterious to be rightly 
understood by the laity of the Church, and that it was neces- 
sary that the substance of the divine teachings should be put 
in such plain and brief forms that all could readily compre- 
hend their meaning, and observe and keep the whole law. 
And to forward such purposes the plainest oracles of God, as 
written by the inspired penmen, were skilfully represented 
as being enigmatical. And in some cases truths which are 
plain and simple, as taught in the Bible, are so rendered in 
our popular creeds and confessions of faith as to make them 
appear mysterious or wholly unintelligible. That which is 
called the " holy doctrine of the Trinity " is an illustrious 
specimen of priestly mystification. That is artfully put in 
such shape that no one can understand it. And yet intelli- 
gent people have been required to profess that they believe 
it, although it appears to be impossible. In former ages (as 
we have seen), and where the laws of State permitted it, the 
penalty of death was inflicted upon those who dared deny 
what was called the Holy Trinity; and now the same 



PEACE ON EARTH. 203 



" heresy " is punished by excommunication from our so-called 
Orthodox churches, whether Catholic or Protestant ! The 
people were taught to believe that it is dangerous for them 
to read the Bible, and attempt to form their own opinions 
there as to Christian faith and practice ; and that the sacred 
duty of interpreting that mystic Book should be discharged 
alone by those who, to that holy work, were — 

The called of God, as it was said; 
And by whom all our creeds were made. 
But how called, when, for purpose what, 
And whether called by God or not, 
What boots it? for, by craft or lot, 
The work they did the Devil got. 

To the several and conflicting creeds of religion and con- 
fessions of faith which conceited bigotry or moral obliquity, 
or both combined (under the leadership of Satan), have 
imposed upon those whom Christ came to emancipate, the 
Church is indebted for all the persecutions, wars, and blood- 
letting for opinion's sake by which she has been afflicted 
down to this present writing. If the Redeemer's counsel and 
that of his apostles had been followed, and the gospel recog- 
nized as the only standard by which questions of Christian 
faith and duty should be settled; and if disturbers of her 
peace had been detected and disposed of as instructed and 
directed by him and them, — the Church would have enjoyed 
uninterrupted peace within down to this time, and none but 
wars from without would she have known. 

But in that case the delightful sport of hunting, chasing, 
catching, trying, hanging, and burning of heretics vile would 
never have been invented ; and all that " innocent amusement " 
for priests, preachers, and all the good people would never have 
been known ; and the Devil would have lost all the fun of 
that sort which he (or his, rather) has relished so well ! All 
such losses would have been sustained, it is true, but for the 
timely intervention of human creeds ; but would nothing have 
been saved which was lost on that account ? Have the con- 
quests of the gospel been less, or greater, than they would 
have been if the peace, harmony, and unity of the Church 



204 PEACE ON EARTH. 

had been uninterrupted? Or, to be brief, will a bouse stand 
longer, or a kingdom protect her subjects better, or extend 
her conquests further, united or divided ? 

It cannot be necessary to waste time in writing, printing, or 
reading answers to the preceding questions, nor in argument 
of the subject ; for all capable and candid minds must come 
to the same conclusion in regard to it. And, moreover, the 
good cause of Christian union, as between Protestants them- 
selves, has an able corps of advocates already enlisted; and 
she has her Evangelical Alliance, Young Men's Christian 
Associations, and other valuable instrumentalities already 
well organized and in successful operation. It is only neces- 
sary, therefore, to caution them not to mistake the Pope for 
the Devil in their warfare against evil, and to aid and assist 
them in their good work, and invoke the Divine blessing upon 
them as far as they propose to go ; and at the same time 
encourage them to explore the territory which lies beyond 
that for the conquest of which they have enlisted, and see 
whether even brighter laurels are not to be achieved there 
than any which can be won within the field to which their 
operations have hitherto been limited. 

The highest ambition which prompts this writing is to 
excite such hope, if possible, on the part of learned, great, 
and good Christians who are now so engaged, — and of all 
such men and women too, — of finding a way which will lead 
to a perfect union of all Christians (whether known as Cath- 
olics, Greeks, Protestants, or by any other name) into one 
harmonious and happy family, as will induce them to look 
searchingly into the matter for themselves, and find that way ; 
and, having found it, that they may walk therein with glad- 
ness. What sacrifice would not the meek and humble fol- 
lower of the blessed Jesus gladly make, to bring his whole 
family into one holy union and happy communion I And, 
my Christian friend, that — all of that — can be done ! It 
must be done ! it will be done ! When, or how, such radical 
change will be effected, God only knows. And whether, or 
how closely, the Church will have to be pruned, and the 
large numbers of which she now consists cut down, to purify 



PEACE ON EARTH. 205 



and prepare her for such perfection of glory, He alone can 
teU. 

The law is written, and it is proclaimed to the Church : 
" Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down 
and cast into the fire." And further : " By their fruits ye 
shall know them." And it is made the duty of every intelli- 
gent Christian of every name, to observe the fruits of those 
who minister to them ; and, if they bring " evil fruit " to 
" mark " and " avoid them." And furthermore, we are not 
left without instruction as to how we may distinguish evil 
fruit from that which is good ; but we are fully informed on 
that subject also. Among "the works of the flesh" (the 
evil fruits) are enumerated the following : " emulations," 
" variance," " strife," " wrath," " envyings," " and such like." 
And St. Paul says that " they which do such things shall not 
inherit the kingdom of God." On the other side, he says : 
" But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, 
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance ; against 
such there is no law." 

We must not however, I repeat, undertake to judge of the 
correctness of all the opinions entertained by others, nor of 
their motives, before extending to them our Christian fellow- 
ship. That is strictly forbidden ; and for the sufficient reason 
that we are utterly incompetent to the task. For we are all 
imperfect, and may labor under error in some particulars our- 
selves ; and we cannot look into the hearts of others, and 
there read and scrutinize their motives. But with the help 
of the light which is revealed to us (and for that important 
purpose), we can observe their works, and judge truly of 
them. And, as before remarked, it is perfectly immaterial 
to us what the opinions or purposes of others may be ; for, if 
they " do such things " as tend to produce variance or strife 
among the brethren, we are commanded to mark them and to 
avoid them. 

If all Christians of the three great families — Roman, Gre- 
cian, and Protestant — would work together as friends and 
brothers should in their missionary operations alone, until 
every benighted heathen on earth should have the gospel 



206 PEACE ON EARTH. 

preached to them, and the Bible printed in their native 
tongues, the chief good sought to be achieved by the advo- 
cates of Christian union would at once be realized. How 
much more Christlike would such conduct appear to those 
who view from the glory-world above the " wars within " 
which now afflict, distract, and so sadly paralyze the arm of 
God's Church below ! Would not such service, my brethren, 
be far more acceptable to our indulgent Father and gracious 
Redeemer, as well as more successful in spreading abroad 
through all nations and to all people the " glad tidings " that 
the Christ has come " to seek and to save that which was 
lost " ? 

Should such catholic spirit once pervade the Christian 
Church as a whole, the world will no more behold such un- 
godly strifes between sectarian chiefs as culminate in hostile 
missions in heathen lands. But wherever one family of 
Christians may be found peaceably and successfully at work, 
on any missionary ground, all others will invoke Heaven's 
choicest blessings on their heads, and turn away to find some 
other ground where Christian feet have never trod, and there 
unfurl the gloriously victorious Banner of the Cross ! 



PEACE ON EARTH. 207 



CHAPTER XVII. 

The same Subject continued. — Judge not, lest ye be judged. — Duties 
of the educated Laity. — Appeal to Lawyers. — Their advantages 
over the Ministry in construing the Scriptures. — Gold is King. — 
Small Errors lead to great Evils. — Nature of the Union advocated. 
— Conclusion. 

r*HE proposition which was laid down in the last chapter, 
■*■ — namely, that it is immaterial to us what the faith or 
motives of others may be, and particularly as applied to pas- 
tors and other officers of the Church, — may strike some as 
novel, if not as being nonsensical. It is nevertheless true, 
with this one qualification : 'provided we have used due care 
in forming our opinions, from his and their conduct and con- 
versation (their fruits), of the sincerity and fitness of those 
who are called to, and retained in, such sacred trusts, and 
believe that they are all right. 

This subject being one of the first value with regard to a 
proper discharge of our Christian duties, it is deemed best to 
pause here, and offer some evidence that I am correct in the 
position assumed. It is believed that no one will insist that 
one church member is responsible for the acts of another any 
further than we may be considered, to some extent, ancillary 
to the wrong done. The law is, that " The soul that sinneth, 
it shall die." Or, as elsewhere given, in this form : " So then, 
every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us 
not, therefore, judge [as to the motives of] one another any 
more." The words contained in the foregoing parenthesis are 
thrown in to show the application of the word " judge," as it 
is clear from Matt. vii. 

But to illustrate : Christians generally esteem the ordi- 
nances of the Lord's supper and of baptism as most sacred. 
None such would consent knowingly to receive either from the 
hands of an arrant hypocrite. Suppose, my brother or sister, 



208 PEACE ON EARTH. 



that the man who baptized you, and who has often presided 
at the Lord's table at which you ate and drank, has proved, 
or should yet prove, to be but another Judas, — would you be 
held to answer for his sins ? Certainly you would not, if you 
were ignorant of them, or from any cause could not prevent 
them. Would it be right for you to be so held answerable for 
another ? If not, you are safe that far ; for " the Judge of all 
the earth will do right." Or, in such case, would your obedi- 
ence to the requirements of the gospel be any the less accept- 
able to our Lawgiver, Saviour, and Judge ? 

Pursuant to the divine law just referred to, the acceptance 
of all our offerings depends alone upon the motives and devo- 
tedness to the cause of Christianity which induce us to make 
them ; and it cannot be affected in any way by the fitness 
or unfitness of the officers who administer them, provided, as 
before, that we have been sufficiently careful in selecting the 
necessary ministerial officers, and have employed and retained 
such only as we honestly believed had been approved by the 
Master ; and that the offerings themselves are such as He has 
promised to own and bless. 

Some well-intending church members are afraid to partake 
of the eucharist with others whose fitness they doubt. With 
regard to our duty as to that ordinance, the command is this : 
" Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat," &c. ; and, 
immediately following that injunction, the best of reasons is 
given for that sort of examination, to wit : " For he that 
eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh dam- 
nation [condemnation] to himself," &c. But not a word is 
said about our inquiring into the spiritual condition of others 
before eating with them, for with that we have nothing 
to do. 

One of the greatest difficulties with us in this life arises 
from the fact that we do not appreciate our individuality as 
we ought. We should learn that there is a personal matter 
of variance between each one of us, as individuals, and our 
common Father, — that " all have sinned " against Him ; and 
that He has brought us here for the sole purpose of trying 
us and proving us, each one for himself or herself, and with a 



PEACE OX EARTH. 209 



view to our restoration to the divine favor, should we prove 
worthy of such grace ; and if not so found worthy, then pre- 
paratory for our final banishment to the place and condition 
" prepared for the Devil and his angels." And, above all 
things else, we should remember that " God is no respecter of 
persons," and that, when the end comes, we will all be judged, 
every one for himself or herself ; and that each will be sever- 
ally rewarded according to what we have done and left undone, 
while here in the body, whether our works have been good or 
evil. 

We are too much disposed to learn from other people, and 
to lean upon the opinions of others ; to imitate them rather 
than to look into the inspired Word, and learn our duties there 
for ourselves. There appears to be a sort of vague notion per- 
vading the mind of Christian communities (and with those 
who do not as well as those who do profess to be followers 
of Christ) that men will be disposed of at the judgment in 
classes ; and that we will be classed more with regard to our 
belief in Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the world than to what 
any one of us, as individuals, may have done in this life. And, 
by such reasoning, many seem to quiet their fears as to any 
close scrutiny of their individual conduct. It is true that 
we will all be disposed of at the judgment in classes ; but we 
must first be judged by our works individually, and then each 
one will be assigned to one or the other of the two classes, ac- 
cording to whether he has served Jesus Christ or Satan while 
here on probation. 

And such reasoning to the contrary, kind reader, comes from 
the enemy ; and it is offered as a lethe to your disquieting 
apprehensions as to the future. " Be not deceived ; God is 
not mocked ; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also 
reap." That sort of soothing cordial is freely applied to the 
consciences of the lay-members of our churches ; in many 
cases where a selfish, disappointed, or ambitious priest or 
preacher, or a combination of such men, is or are trying to 
damn the reputation, or otherwise destroy the influence of a 
greater or better man than themselves ; and in cases where 
a vain bigot is laboring to divide a church and to lead off a 

14 



210 PEACE ON EARTH. 

part of her members, for the purpose of getting up a new sect 
of religionists, that he may make a name among men. 

In such cases, laymen are prone to stand aloof, and, as a 
general rule, they are disinclined to interpose for the protec- 
tion of the deserving innocent or the preservation of the peace 
and unity of their churches, as, in all such emergencies, they 
should at least try to do, and which, with proper effort, they 
usually could succeed in doing, if they would use the capacity 
and energy which God has given them for his glory and their 
own good. There is a grave responsibility resting upon intel- 
ligent and educated lay-members of the Church of Jesus Christ, 
with regard to her peace and unity, of which, as a general 
thing, they appear to be and to have been wholly unconscious. 
God has made it the special duty of that class of Christians to 
observe the deportment of those who minister in sacred things, 
and to protect the flock from the depredations of " wolves " 
who come to them " in sheep's clothing." 

To whom, but to the wise and learned laity, did the Saviour 
address this remark : " By their fruits ye shall know them " ? 
And was it not for them that the cautions and the injunctions 
(to "mark" and "avoid them") which are found in Rom. xvi. 
and Phil. iii. were intended ? The unlettered and the ignorant 
are not capable of making the requisite discriminations which 
must be made if that duty is discharged properly. And it is 
not to be expected that the " wolves " will detect and expose 
one another. Nor could the sincere minister of the gospel of 
peace expose such intruders with any due regard for his own 
usefulness. The best they can do is carefully and silently to 
avoid them as far as practicable ; and therefore on the learned 
laity that delicate, yet sacred, duty rests. 

And I beg leave right here to make an appeal to my pro- 
fessional brethren who love the cause of Jesus Christ, in 
behalf of the holy cause of Christian union. Upon your 
shoulders, my dear brethren, more than upon any other class 
of Christians, the Saviour has laid the imperative though 
unwelcome duty to guard with zealous care the portals of the 
sacred desk. Who is better qualified than you, my brother, 
to detect the " wolf," should one essay to enter there ? You 



PEACE ON EARTH. 211 



who frequent the courts of justice and participate in the trials 
of all such cases, both civil and criminal, as come before them, 
— as none but you can do, — have facilities for learning the 
art of reading men which others cannot have. 

In the discharge of your professional duties, you are neces- 
sarily brought in contact with every class of people. More than 
any others you study human nature. You often scan the con- 
duct and conversation of an opposite party litigant to learn his 
motives and intentions respecting your client, should he fall 
under the power of his adversary. You note with still more 
care all the surroundings which would be likely to bias the 
mind of every juror for or against your client, and have a 
watchful eye to all such circumstances during the whole 
progress of the cause. And should opposing counsel, or even 
the presiding judge, unfortunately have weak points, you 
study them likewise, and with the utmost care, and uniformly 
invoke the benefit of such weakness to the help of your client. 
But a few years' practice is sufficient, as you well know, to 
enable a competent lawyer to read any ordinary witness with 
about the same ease with which he can read Blackstone. 
And if the witness is a false one, and opposed to him, he can 
and will " spot him " with unerring certainty. And in pro- 
fessional circles it is (as you will bear me witness) a pleasur- 
able source of conversation and congratulation, that, as judges 
of human nature, lawyers have no equals. 

That claim to pre-eminence is well founded. And now, 
brethren, ever bear it in mind that God gave you all the 
ability you have. And in view of his abundant goodness to 
us, let us humble ourselves at his feet, and invoke the Good 
Spirit to dissolve our hearts in thanksgiving and: praise to 
Him for this special gift to our profession. 

Moreover, brethren, let us not forget that Christ has put 
us on notice, that, " Unto whomsoever much is given, of him 
shall be much required." Inasmuch, therefore, as God has 
given us a quality which fits us pre-eminently for the dis- 
charge of a particular duty, and which is a work for which 
but few are competent (yet it is one which must be done, if 
the Church is to find protection at all against the aggressions 



212 PEACE ON EAKTH. 

and devastations of bad men, who enter the sanctuary of God 
for the most selfish and ungodly purposes), — we should expect 
to be held to answer for the manner in which we may have 
discharged or neglected this special duty. 

And while particularly addressing you, my brethren, as a 
class who have acquired special qualifications for the discharge 
of certain duties, I beg leave of the general reader to depart 
from our present line of thought far enough to make you this 
one other suggestion. The peculiar training which was neces- 
sary to prepare you for the practice of your profession, quali- 
fied you at the same time to construe the sacred writings 
more perfectly than any other class of uninspired men can 
do it. Have you not thought of that before? You have 
been made acquainted with certain rules for the construction 
of wills and other writings, which come before the courts for 
a correct interpretation of certain matters of doubt which 
arise as to the true meaning and intention of testators, or 
contracting parties. These rules are properly said to contain 
the result of the combined wisdom and experience of the by- 
gone ages, in the difficult task of learning how to find the 
true meaning of some writings which appear ambiguous. 
And the same rules apply as well in the construction of the 
sacred as of other writings. And that power you have ; and 
if you are a Christian (as many of you doubtless are), it is 
an imperative duty which you owe alike to yourself, your 
fellow-men, and to your God that you faithfully exercise this 
extraordinary skill for your own and their eternal good, and 
for His glory. 

In advising Christian lawyers to " search the Scriptures," 
and to construe them as they do other writings, it may not 
be amiss to caution them at the same time that, should they 
undertake that sort of interpretation, they must lay aside 
their former method of reaching conclusions, and adopt the 
aim and pursue the mode of the chancellor, whose duty it is 
to ascertain and pronounce the result of a fair and thorough 
investigation of each important question brought before him. 
For otherwise your opinions on such matters would be worth 
no more than are those of learned divines, — some of whom 



PEACE ON EARTH. 213 

have hitherto claimed (and still insist upon) the exclusive 
prerogative to examine and expound what they represent as 
being the mysterious writings which constitute the Christian's 
Bible. 

One of the chief advantages that lawyers have over minis- 
ters of the gospel of equal capacity, in that sacred work, 
arises from the circumstance that the former have no present 
or secular interest involved in the solution of such questions ; 
and therefore, when they go out of the field in which they 
earn their food and raiment, they can afford to lay aside all 
pre-conceived opinions and mental bias, and search in all sin- 
cerity and disinterestedness for the simple, naked truth of 
God just as it is revealed to mam And having found that 
precious jewel, he can fairly present it to those for whom it 
was sent. In so doing he has nothing to lose by it in this 
world, whether the result of his labors are received with ap- 
plause, or with scorn and contempt, by the sectarian and 
psuedo-Christian ministry of his time. But on the contrary, 
even if he is reviled for having done his duty, he has the 
precious promise of the Saviour to cheer him on his way : 
" Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute 
you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my 
sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your 
reward in heaven." 

On the other hand, it is impossible for the educated minis- 
ter to investigate any controverted question free from bias ; 
and, of course, one who is uneducated is incompetent to that 
task. All learned ministers are educated (in theology if 
nothing more) in some one of the sectarian schools, colleges, 
or seminaries ; and this is not complained of, for it is the best 
they can do. Each denomination of Christians has its own 
peculiar views of revealed truth, and most of them have a 
written creed, or confession of faith, — one manufactured by 
each for themselves. The creed of the Church, whose insti- 
tution it is, gives form, size, and proportions to the faith which 
is taught therein. The professors all believe the creed of the 
Church for which they teach, of course ; and if pious, good 
men (as in most instances they no doubt are), they will 



214 PEACE ON EARTH, 

impress upon the young, confiding mind of every student 
under their care that which they devoutly believe to be re- 
vealed truth, and with all the energy and power they have, — 
will they not ? Of course they will. 

Now, remember, that the greatest and best men of our age 
differ in opinion, as far as the east is from the west, in re- 
gard to many points of Christian faith, which they mutually 
believe to be of sufficient importance to justify God's children 
(who are commanded to " love one another " and " live in 
peace,") in withholding their church fellowship from all who 
do not believe with themselves touching these questions ; and 
notwithstanding the rejected appear to love Jesus as well, 
and to serve him as zealously, as do those of their own com- 
munion. Is it not the most natural thing in the world, that 
young men who are educated in each one of these theological 
schools should leave them perfectly satisfied with the vener- 
ated professors whose disciples they have been, and with the 
main tenor of the instructions they have received? That 
such would be the result they fondly hoped on entering them ; 
and it should be expected as a matter of course. And as an- 
other matter of course, they bring out of their far-famed insti- 
tutions precisely the same opinions which they took into 
them when boys ! Is not this also true ? As the general 
rule it certainly is ; and if there be exceptions, they are few 
and far between. 

Then whence do our distinguished doctors of divinity get 
their various and conflicting opinions, with which they have 
so long and so sadly harassed, crippled, and disgraced the 
Church of Jesus Christ ? Are they all found in the Bible ? 
To the credit of these doctors be it said that, notwithstanding 
they differ so much about other questions, they unanimously 
agree that the only admissible answer to this one is, No ! 
The question therefore recurs, and with increased interest, 
If not from the Bible, where and how do they get them ? In 
conversation with a very intelligent and candid Jew upon one 
occasion, I took the liberty to ask him where and how his 
people get their opinions of Jesus Christ ? " We draw them 
from our mother's breasts," was the prompt and emphatic 
reply. 



PEACE ON EARTH. 215 



Leaving here the inquiry as to how the learned, the wise, 
and the good, as well as the untutored, the simple, and the 
vile, get such variant, conflicting, and erroneous opinions 
relative to divine truth and Christian duty into their minds, 
we will pass on, and deal with things as we find them. For 
it is sufficient for present purposes to know that the fault 
does not lie in the Bible ; and that, nevertheless, the dogmas 
affirmed in the creed of his church (if she has one, as nearly 
all have) are as firmly fixed in the head of the young minister 
the day he leaves the seminary to look out for an empty pul- 
pit, as the handle of a jug is fastened on the outside of that 
(in some cases) less harmful little vessel. 

Now follow the young divine a little further, just to see 
what his fitness is likely to be for a fair and impartial inter- 
pretation of the controverted passages of Scripture. He is 
pleased to hear of a congregation which wants a pastor, and 
goes at once to see the official or more influential members of 
the church to seek employment. If pleased with the first 
impression made by him, they invite him to preach for them 
on a day appointed. He knows, as well as they know, that 
they are anxious to hear him before either making him an 
offer or refusing to make one. They want to see him in the 
pulpit, and hear him expound some of the so-called mysterious 
texts of Scripture, that they may learn something of his 
ability ; but more particularly to satisfy themselves in regard 
to his Orthodoxy ! — all of which he knows well. The .candi- 
date for place prepares himself to satisfy his newly-made 
acquaintances and brethren in that important particular (if 
he had not done so before he went to see them), by the selec- 
tion of a text which leads to a discussion of the article of faith 
to which his branch of the Church attaches the most impor- 
tance. He collects all the leading texts and stereotyped 
arguments relied upon to sustain his and their views on " that 
vital question," whatever it may chance to be ; and he does 
his work in the most approved style of the art. Of course 
he does. 

Our young aspirant to the favor of his denomination (as 
we will suppose) is engaged to serve the church on terms 



216 PEACE ON EARTH. 

satisfactory to all parties. He enters upon his ministerial 
duties, realizing the fact that his relative position with his 
people, during his natural life, depends more upon his ability 
and assiduity in the advocacy and defence of the creed of his 
church than on any other consideration. And consequently 
he devotes his time, talents, and energies to the tread-mill 
work of pleasing his hearers by the discussion (?) of the same 
questions (but always on the same side of each) week after 
week, it may be, during a long life. How many errors in 
the church creed, which he labors so faithfully to sustain, is 
it likely that he will detect and expose ? Or how many new 
ideas will he dig up, and present to his church and congrega- 
tion ? Should he by some mishap unearth either the one 
or the other, he would hide it as carefully as a thief would 
a bundle of stolen goods on seeing a constable with his posse 
coming to search his house ! Certainly he would. For if it 
should leak out that he has any thing of that kind in his pos- 
session, even though he may have come by it honestly, the 
bare fact that he has it and keeps it would, if known, cost 
him the loss of the means by which he gets his bread and 
butter ! 

The case selected to illustrate the condition of the sectarian 
minister, is that of one whose church employs her own pastor ; 
but the condition of those who get their appointments from 
some ecclesiastical body is certainly no better in that respect, 
as but little reflection will convince any one. 

Such, in brief, are the influences which enslave the mind 
of sectarian teachers, and which absolutely disqualify them 
for the high vocation whereunto (as it is hoped) the Master 
has called them. That there are exceptions to this, as well 
as to all other general rules, it is true ; and they stand out in 
bold relief, to the credit of poor human nature. But unfortu- 
nately they are very rare indeed. How many exceptions to 
it do we find recorded in Church history ? Has there been 
exceeding one exception in a thousand cases, on an average, 
since the first so-called human creed of religion saw the light 
of day ? 

But I must desist. For inasmuch as this work is intended 



PEACE ON EARTH. 217 



as merely suggestive of the several facts and thoughts alluded 
to, seldom argumentative, and when so, to some extent, never 
exhaustive, — all that broad field, which is better adapted 
than any other in our age to the production of rich harvests 
for heaven, must necessarily be left for the cultivation and 
reaping of others. 

Christian lawyers have, indeed, many advantages over all 
others in the proper construction of the Scriptures, in pro- 
tecting the Church from the domination of, and the devas- 
tations caused by, bad men who sit in high places, and in 
restoring her to that peace, love, and unity which prevailed 
in the apostolic age, as already remarked. 

But the Church has many other wise and good men in 
other respects, who could, if they would, render efficient aid 
in this all-important work. Of such may be mentioned physi- 
cians, educated farmers, merchants, mechanics, and especially 
Christian gentlemen of leisure, who, to natural endowments 
of a high order, have the additional advantages afforded them 
both by liberal education and ample fortune. And there are 
others who could be added to the list with propriety, — 
especially a host of Christian ladies, who could render the 
cause valuable service, in divers ways, without any impro- 
priety. All truly pious and capable Christians, of every 
walk in life where such are found, could find ample employ- 
ment, and make the best possible investment of time, labor, 
and skill in the field above commended. 

Human creeds have been allowed to displace, if not to su- 
persede, the gospel of Jesus Christ. His Church has thereby 
been divided, and her power for good sadly paralyzed. Chris- 
tian leaders have departed from the Word of God, and have 
" hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no 
water." Their "cisterns" should be exposed as cunning de- 
vices of the enemy, and those who trust in them should be 
encouraged to return — come back — to the simple faith and 
obedience that are taught in the gospel, " that they may 
recover themselves out of the snare of the Devil, who are 
taken captive by him at his will." 

If Christians of every denomination — Catholics, Protes- 



218 PEACE ON EAETH. 



tants, and all others — are ever to be harmonized and brought 
into one communion this side of the Judgment, it must be 
done through the instrumentality of the laity operating on 
the clergy. The former have hitherto been and now are 
ruled by the latter, as with a rod of iron. This is at once 
unnatural, unscriptural, and wrong. It is nothing less than 
the servant governing the master (see Matt, xxiii. 11, 12 ; 
Mark. x. 42-45). That has ever been the case in the political 
world, but the reverse is the rule prescribed by the Master 
for his Church. The old rule for the government of the 
Church — the democratic rule — must be restored, if the evil 
consequences of the opposite one (which has so long ruled 
and ruined the Church) is to be overcome, and the peace and 
unity of the people of God again restored. To use a homely 
but appropriate form of expression, " The boot must be put 
on the other leg." Learned, pious, and competent lay-mem- 
bers of the Church, in all her branches, should promptly and 
boldly come to the front. They should at once assert the 
rights and exercise the powers for good which God has given 
them ; and, like men, meet the responsibilities that devolve 
upon them in virtue of the advantages they have, and in 
humble gratitude to the Giver of all good discharge a solemn 
obligation they are under to him, and the most sacred duty 
they owe their fellow-men. 

" Money is power." This axiomatic truth applies as well 
in matters affecting the interests of the Church as of the 
State. The laity hold the purse-strings ; and therein lies all 
the power necessary, not only to a speedy and complete liber- 
ation of themselves from the state of vassalage in which they 
have blindly lived and meekly served for long ages past, but 
by a prudent use of the same lever, — a wise manipulation of 
the purse-strings, — they can also restore the Church to her 
primitive purity, peace, and union ! 

A few years ago we had a political party here in the South, 
whose motto, rallying cry, and watchword was, " Cotton is 
King ! " Their leading spirits honestly thought so ; and a 
number sufficient to put their opinion to the only true test 
rallied around their standard. But about four years of close 



PEACE ON EARTH. 219 



dieting, hard fighting, and blood-letting proved sufficient to 
satisfy them that they had made a sad mistake as to the iden- 
tity of the royal personage who presides over the temporal 
destinies of this world, and that they should have lettered 
their banner in this way, " Gold is King." 

Slight, incipient errors often lead to disastrous results, as 
in that instance. And all the intestine divisions, strifes, 
wars, and consequent cruelties from which Christians have 
suffered so long and so severely, were no more than the natu- 
ral consequences of one mistake which the priesthood made 
at an early period in our Church history. Having been 
called to the service of the Church, they (most innocently, as 
we should hope) thought it necessary that they should take 
upon themselves all the responsibilities which devolve upon 
lawgivers and judges, over their fellow sinners, — thereby as- 
suming the authority of masters, instead of the more humble 
and peaceful place assigned them. And, as it would seem, 
they entirely overlooked the fact that Christ had reserved 
precisely that position for himself, and had directed that we 
all, priests and people alike, should obey him. And that 
little mistake on the part of the priests unfortunately brought 
the lay membership under the necessity of trying to " serve 
two masters." But that is just the thing which the Saviour 
says no man can do. Hence the trouble. 

All men are liable, more or less, to be led aside from the 
narrow path of Christian duty. Ministers, priests, and all 
other ecclesiastic officials are but men, fallen sinners, as we 
come into this life, and fallible creatures while here. And 
conceding them all to be good men, as compared with others, 
yet they are imperfect, and subject to be influenced to some 
extent by the evil insinuations of Satan ; and especially so, 
whenever he finds a chance to bring the fearful weight of 
sectarian bias, personal ambition, or pecuniary interest to 
bear in his favor. 

If that be not true, how can the painful fact that wise, 
good, and great ministers of the gospel differ in opinion so 
far, in reference to a number of questions of faith and prac- 
tice ? Is it the fault of the Bible ? None of them will say 



220 PEACE ON EARTH. 

that it is. Then are all teachers of religion, who entertain 
erroneous views with regard to what is taught in the Word 
of God, hypocritical pretenders, " wolves in sheep's clothing " ? 
Some of them are false teachers, of course ; for it is impossible 
that all can be right, and at the same time hold views which 
are diametrically opposed to one another. The observation 
of every intelligent Christian must satisfy him that learned 
and well-meaning ministers stand opposed to each other on 
many questions, which they mutually agree are of sufficient 
importance to justify divisions of the Church of Christ into 
sects and parties, based upon them as at present ; and there- 
fore the only feasible solution of this enigma is to be found in 
the admission that some of the best men are deceived and be- 
trayed into error by the Devil. This is indubitably the most 
charitable and the only admissible solution of the matter. 

If, then, our greatest men and most distinguished divines are 
liable to be deceived and betrayed into error by the enemy of 
all that is right, good, and true (as we have the best authority 
for saying that they are), we of the laity should feel ourselves 
at liberty to comment freely, but affectionately, upon the 
views entertained and forms of worship observed by one 
another, and no one should complain, or feel in the least 
offended, at being criticised with respect to either, provided 
always that it is done in a kind, Christian-like way. Nor 
should any priest or preacher complain of the most strict 
observation of his conduct and conversation, not for the pur- 
pose of judging his motives, but his fruits, — the tendency of 
his manner of life, his influence, his teaching for good or for 
evil ; but all humble, pious ministers of the gospel should, on 
the other hand, court just that kind of protection from the 
slanderous whisperings of the Devil. 

The importance of a correct understanding of God's Word, 
of an acceptable observance of all his requirements of us, and 
of a pure and holy priesthood towers above all other consider- 
ations. With these inestimable blessings all Christians would 
of course be of one mind and live in peace. And with that 
sort of a ministry, the glorious work of Christian union would 
require but a few months, or brief and happy years at most. 



PEACE ON EARTH. 221 



Are all such imaginings Utopian ? Are they not, on the con- 
trary, based and well founded upon God's Word ? I think 
so ; and am therefore willing to work to that happy end. But 
the question arises, How can that happy end be reached ? 

The best, if not the only, way by which Christians of all 
denominations can be brought together, is in the first place 
to bring about a correct understanding and due appreciation 
of the views and purposes of one another. That can be done 
by their associating freely with each other; by friendly, 
frank, and full interchange of ideas with each other ; and by 
joint inquiry for themselves into the proper interpretation of 
such texts of Scripture as are made the bases of the different 
opinions which prevail, and which have given some plausible 
excuse for the divisions of the Church that have been made. 
And we must keep a strict watch, at the same time, over the 
several pastors who minister to us, and sustain none but those 
who fully sympathize and cheerfully co-operate with us in our 
labor of love. 

As it has already been remarked, this sacred duty devolves 
mainly on the educated and influential lay-members of the 
Church. They can bring all Christians together, if they will 
try to do it. The whole thing with them is a mere question 
of will. They can and should purge the Church of all time- 
serving, money-loving, church-dividing priests and preachers, 
— " wolves," who scatter that they may devour the flock ! 
The whole weight of the fearful responsibility of permitting 
the Church to continue divided, and at war as clansmen 
against one another, rests upon that class of the laity. 

It is true that the clergy were chiefly responsible for bring- 
ing the Church into her present lamentable condition. But 
it is now too late to do any good by pausing to inquire why 
they did so. The evil is upon us, and we should dispose of 
the matter as we find it. It is, however, but a just tribute to 
the memory of some whom we have good reason to believe 
are now saints in heaven, and yet who took active parts in 
some of the movements which have resulted so disastrously to 
the peace and prosperity of the Church, that they doubtless 
acted in good faith, but were really deceived as to the pro- 



222 PEACE OX EARTH. 

priety and effects of the policy which they in all honesty of 
purpose then pursued. But with the motives of others, I 
repeat, we have nothing to do. We are not to sit in judg- 
ment of the thoughts and intentions of others, because we are 
not competent to that task. But it is not only our privilege, 
but a sacred duty resting upon us, carefully to observe the 
conduct of those who minister to us in holy things, and to 
judge of the fruits of their doings ; and if their example or 
teaching be such as tends to foment, or longer to perpetuate, 
divisions and strifes in the family of Jesus Christ, we should 
promptly and fearlessly " mark and avoid them." 

All priests and preachers ought to be good men ; and many 
of them unquestionably are as good as men in this life get to 
be : but we have the authority of the Saviour, and of his 
immediate disciples and apostles, for saying that they are not 
all as they should be. It is said that extremes often meet ; 
and it is believed safe to say, that the best men who are pass- 
ing through this world on their way to heaven, and the worst 
men who are travelling the broad road that leads from earth 
to hell, often meet in the pulpit ! And inasmuch as the judg- 
ment of those who want to be good men is liable to be per- 
verted by a sense of personal interest ; and knowing as we do 
that such considerations absolutely control those who are so 
appropriately called " wolves in sheep's clothing," — one of 
the most successful plans that could be devised, by which to 
influence the ministry as a whole, and bring them into our 
union movement, would be to convince them that " honesty 
is the best policy " for this life, whether all of them believe 
there is a future state awaiting us or not. For should they 
all become satisfied that there is more money in the service 
of the cause of Christian union than in sowing seeds of dis- 
cord among the brethren, they will all " with one accord " 
fall into line, — some purely because it is right, and others 
because it is more prudent to do so. In that way, the Devil 
may be cheated out of the value of his best servants. But 
be that as it may, with the help of all the ministry the disci- 
ples of Christ would very soon become one, as he so fervently 
prayed the Father that they may be. 



PEACE ON EARTH. 223 

In that case, it is true, " tares " would still be mixed with 
the u wheat ; " but that is no objection to the proposed plan, 
for that will be the case until the harvest any way, and the 
damage to the wheat would be much less under such circum- 
stances than it now is. 

Politicians watch the signs of the times, as it is well known ; 
and when they observe a general tendency on the part of 
leading men of all parties in favor of any important measure, 
as a general rule they set their sails so as to fall in line a 
little ahead of the moving masses if possible, so as to rank as 
leaders in the movement. That is sensible ! And all men 
are by nature very much alike in their habits, tastes, and pro- 
clivities, are they not? It is therefore reasonable to expect 
that, if the prominent lay-members of the Church of every 
denomination should manifest an anxious desire for, and a 
settled determination of purpose on their part to superinduce, 
a cordial union and practical co-operation by all Christians 
against the common foe, the ministry of no one family would 
still be found marching the other way, and that but few if 
any would wait to bring up the rear, — would they ? 

Then, my Christian brethren, go to work in good earnest, 
and with full confidence that success awaits your efforts in 
that direction, as certainly as you try to earn it. The only 
serious opposition with which you will have to contend in 
that godlike enterprise will arise from the deep-seated preju- 
dices which the Devil (by means of the erroneous construc- 
tion of the important revelation already alluded to) has ex- 
cited and settled upon the minds of Catholic and Protestant 
Christians against one another. That he only succeeded in 
doing with the assistance of certain vain, bigoted, and ultra- 
sectarian priests and preachers of his own deceiving. 

And the first thing to be done, with a view to peace be- 
tween these two great families, is for the members of each to 
look into that Scripture individually for himself and for her- 
self, with what help can be found, and with the care which 
the importance of the subject demands, so as to become per- 
fectly satisfied that such prejudices are wholly unfounded, 
and that God-fearing men and women — pious, good Chris- 



224 PEACE ON EARTH. 

tians — are to be met with alike in Catholic and Protestant 
churches. And in that search it will also be found that 
neither the one branch of the Church nor the other is the 
" great dragon," " serpent," " Devil," and " Satan " of Reve- 
lation. 

When satisfied on that point, Protestant and Catholic breth- 
ren — and sisters too — who are personal friends, residing in 
the same city, town, or neighborhood, and who desire to go 
into that ever to be blessed work, should confer freely and 
frequently together, and enlist others with them as opportu- 
nity may offer ; and at the proper time adopt such measures 
as may be thought best, in view of surrounding circumstances 
in every case, to effect the common purpose. And it should 
be carefully impressed upon the public mind, everywhere, that 
this movement is not to affect existing church organizations 
nor relations in any way ; but it is simply designed to bring 
all Christians of every name closer together, so that they will 
mix and mingle together as but one family of " little chil- 
dren," and become one in love as they are now one in purpose 
and destiny ; — to the end, first, that the individual members 
of each denomination may visit all the others, when con- 
venient, and unite with one another in public worship, when 
mutually agreeable, or sit as visiting friends and brethren to 
witness and profit by the exercises of the hour, as each may 
think best upon every visit; and lastly, so that all may be 
brought to co-operate as one body and one army and in every 
practical way against our common enemy, and so that all may 
♦ultimately become one in love, purpose, and destiny, as the 
Father and Son " are one." 

It is gratifying to witness a better feeling growing up be- 
tween the masses of Catholic and Protestant Christians within 
the last few years than existed previously. They appear to 
attend the public worship of each other more frequently than 
formerly ; and more liberality is manifested toward one another 
in the way of contributions to aid in the building of churches, 
founding colleges, &c, than heretofore. The most pleasing 
instance of the latter, which has come under the observation 
of the writer, occurred when the Catholic authorities were 



PEACE ON EAKTH. 225 

soliciting contributions for their now flourishing young college 
at Macon, Georgia. On that occasion, Protestant editors of 
the secular press generally urged their brethren to help them 
freely ; and which, it is said, was done by many. That was 
a move in the right direction. 

Thus, while the leading clergymen and partisan press of 
each, as a general rule, are denouncing the other branch of 
the Church as the great Anti-Christ, and, in some cases, even 
going so far as to misrepresent the views and practices of the 
other party, — thinking and liberty-loving members of both are 
breaking loose from the hold of those who have held them at 
a distance from one another for many ages, and are beginning 
to think and act for themselves. This, too, is as it should be. 

Of a sinful race, put here on probation, every one of whom 
is to be judged and rewarded, or punished, during an eter- 
nal future " according to his works," it is both reasonable 
and right that all should be allowed the privilege to read, 
think, and act for themselves. And would it not be more 
prudent and wise for every one who is capable of doing so 
to go back to the Bible, and read and construe the Word of 
inspiration for themselves ? Doctors differ ; somebody is in 
error. 

The plea of ignorance sometimes avails in our temporal 
courts ; but with what favor will that plea be considered by 
the august Judge of all the earth, when filed by the learned, 
the wise, and the great rulers, teachers, doctors, lawyers, and 
judges of the Christian world ? Would you not, my profes- 
sional brother, about as lief stand mute, or even plead guilty, 
as to file a plea of ignorance before that or any other tribunal ? 
Remember, we are all under notice that, " Unto whomsoever 
much is given, of him shall much be required." And forget 
not the rebuke of our Judge : " Yea, and why even of your- 
selves judge ye not what is right? " 

The preceding remarks have been mainly directed to the 
propriety, practicability, and necessity of trying to induce 
better relations between Catholic and Protestant Christians, 
as the reader must have observed. That was done for two 
reasons : first, because the leading purpose of this writing 

15 



226 PEACE ON EARTH. 

required it ; and in the next place, as before stated, for the 
reason that the cause of " Christian Union," as between Prot- 
estants themselves, already has many and more able advocates 
earnestly and successfully laboring in her interest, and who 
work both as individuals and as associations. And, my breth- 
ren, these things " ought ye to have done, and not to leave the 
other undone." 

In the holy cause of Christian union, all who wish to lay 
up for themselves treasures in heaven can find ample employ- 
ment with the most liberal wages. Here a field is opened in 
which the peacemaker's blessing can be secured by all who 
love peace and will labor for it. Do you ask, What is that 
blessing ? The Saviour says : " Blessed are the peacemakers, 
for they shall be called the children of God." And as his 
children, all who so labor will be rewarded according to what 
each shall have done in the interest of "peace on earth," even 
though it be for peace between the sons of Belial. Then man 
cannot imagine how glorious the blessing will be which Christ 
at his coming will award to those who have labored for the 
restoration of peace between and among his. own beloved dis- 
ciples, whom Satan has artfully set at war with one another ! 
We may safely say, however, " Blessed is that servant, whom 
his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing." 



INDEX. 



Page 

Adam, his creation — soul — body. 48 

Alienation between Catholics and Protestants grows mainly 

out of one error of both 199 

American Bible Union, Matt. iii. 11 as rendered by. . . . 112 

Amusements, priestly ' . 203 

Angels, all men are to become 123, 125 

Angels and men, all made as best for themselves, — free and 

happy 62 

Angels fallen, their claims to divine favor and ours con- 
trasted 30 

Antinomianism, a delusion 126 

Apostasy, possibility of 166 

Armies, but two, all men belong to one or the other . . . 198 

Atonement, nature and extent of 126 

Babes, predestinarians the " babes " in Christ 160 

Banishment, final, of the impenitent 208 

Baptism, purpose of, and why administered in the name of 

the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost 89 

Belief of Christians, the same on all essential points . . . 198 

Blindness, temporary, sometimes providential 154 

" By their fruits ye shall know them "....*... 210 

Catholic and Protestant Christians getting nearer together . 224 

Central gospel truth 143 

Christians, Catholic and Protestant, mutually in error as to 

each other 185 

Christian love 184 

Christian, this term not in general use in the apostolic age . 172 

Christian Union 179 



228 INDEX. 

Page 

Christian Union, how it may be effected 221 

Christ, prophecies of 25 

Christ, the object of his mission 26 

Churches, Christian, but two at most necessary 197 

Clark, Dr. A., on the different constructions of Rev. xii. . .' 20 

Comforter, the same as the Holy Ghost 116 

Cotton is king 218 

Covenant, for our redemption, what and when made . . . ,16 

Creation of this world, by whom and in whose presence . . 70 

Creator, a, and not chance 41 

Creeds of religion, all but one contrived by the Devil . . 159 

Creeds, human, the cause of divisions, persecutions, &c. . . 203 

Deceived, all men are 193 

Devils, will be called angels 123, 125 

Discrepancies, apparent in the Scriptures, how reconciled . . 73 
Divisions of the Church, policy of 192 

Eden, why was Satan permitted to enter there ? 34 

Educated laity, duties of 217, 221, 222 

Election, absolute and unconditional, a scheme of the enemy 127, 

159 
Election, a class elected and another class rejected . 132, 141, 150, 

161 

Eternal, the term construed 70 

Eternal punishment, if we are new creatures 32 

Eternal punishment, if we are of the fallen angels ... 33, 37 
Extremes meet, in the pulpit as elsewhere 222 

Faith, all men mould their own 94 

Faith, the gospel creed of 14 

Fall in Eden, how induced 128 

Father and Son, seen together 82 

Foreknowledge of God . 143 

Foreknowledge of God, not prejudicial to man 150 

Fruits, "By their fruits ye shall know them" 210 

Gill, Dr., as to identity of Michael and Christ 23 

God, personality of 41 

God, locality of. 44 



INDEX. 229 

Page 

God is a spirit 54 

God derives his pleasure, his glory, from the happiness of 

his creatures 61 

God is love 184 

Godhead, the term noticed 102 

Gods many, and lords many 121 

Gold is king 219 

Hardened, who are, and why 151 

Heathen, salvation of 176 

Heaven, a place, the home of God 58 

Heavenly treasures 200 

Hell, is there such place or condition 32-37 

Heresy, a modern charge of, alluded to 96 

Holy Ghost, impersonality of 89 

Holy Ghost, the voice of God, &c 106 

Holy Ghost, office of 171 

Honesty the best policy 222 

Human creeds supersede the gospel 217 

Ignorance, plea of, at the judgment 225 

Individuality of Jesus Christ 70, 80 

Individuality, our own not duly realized 208 

Imitative, Christians too much so * . . . 209 

Infants, salvation of 178 

Inquisition, cause of 185 

Jacob and Esau, one loved, the other hated 144, 147 

Jehovah, a personal being, Creator of all else 41 

Jesus Christ, a distinct individual 67 

Jesus Christ, an eternal Spirit 70 

John i. 1, 2 construed 70 

" Judge not, lest ye be judged " 207 

Judges called gods 122 

King James's edition of the Bible ...112 

Laity, the, and not the clergy, should govern the Church. . 217 

Lawyers, Christian, an appeal to 210 

Lay members of the Church, responsibility of .... . 209 



230 INDEX. 

Page 

Likeness, the body of Adam made in the likeness of God . 49 

Locality of God 65 

Mark and avoid them that cause strife, &c 205 

Michael the Archangel and Christ the same 23, 25 

Ministers disqualified for construing the Scriptures . . . . 213 

Money is power 218 

Moses talked with God about his body '. . . 47 

Omnipresence of God 65 

Origin and nature of man well known to St. Paul .... 169 

Origin of the human soul, different views in regard to . . . 15 

Paul the apostle more fully inspired than others 137 

Paul, his style of writing 136 

Perseverance, doctrine of, reviewed 167 

Personality of Jehovah God 47 

Politicians and ministers, alike to some extent 223 

Predestination, doctrine of, stated, &c 129-132 

Pre-existence of the soul, believed by the disciples of Christ 138 

Presbyterian confession of faith cited 129 

Priestcraft 93 

Questions, why was Satan permitted to enter Eden, — and 

others 34 

Religion, natural, as revealed, in twelve propositions ... 39 

Rev. xii., how construed by Catholics ; by Protestants . . 20 

Rev. xii. examined :.:.... 188, 199 

Salvation offered to all, on terms 137 

Saved, who will be 193 

Scriptures, consistent when properly construed 145 

Sectarian education of ministers, effect of 213 

Sin, unpardonable, what 170 

Size, the body of Jehovah larger than those of men or angels 52 

Sons of God, holy angels and redeemed men are and will be 123 

Soul, different views as to nature and origin of 15 

Soul, pre-existence of, the old belief 17 

Soul of Adam not created when his body was made ... 48 



INDEX. 231 

Page 

Spiritualists, their opinion of the Christian religion .... 34 

Start right, importance of so doing 13 

Theologians all agree, how far 13 

Trinity, popular doctrine of, a priestly mystification . . . 202 

Triune, trinity, &c, not Scriptural terms 102 

Union of Christians favored, not to interfere with existing 

Church organizations, &c 187 

Unpardonable sin, what 170 

War begun in heaven, progressing here 18, 24, 29 

Wickedness, more injurious to the Church than ignorance . 191 

Will, freedom of the 130 

Wolves in sheep's clothing 196 



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